Entering Twilight
by BugRehsom
Summary: Caroline Dawson's life has just fallen apart. Just as she thinks she may have a handle on everything, tragedy strikes unexpectedly, and she awakens to discover she has just woken up in the middle of her favorite book. How will her presence affect Forks?
1. Where's Judge Judy When You Need Her?

The calm façade I'd worn like a mask since entering the courthouse abruptly faded as the door to the third floor bathroom closed behind me. My cheeks burned with a mixture of pain and embarrassment, my eyes prickling with the promise of unshed tears held in check by sheer willpower alone.

I walked with purpose to the small porcelain sink and turned the cold water on full force, splashing my overheated face repeatedly until I felt a sense of calm return. Taking deep breaths, I grabbed a fist full of paper towels and began to dry the water on my face.

Through the mirror, I gazed into my own eyes, trying to assess my appearance. My normally bluish green eyes were a bright green, my cheeks had lost the red color of high emotion, and my general expression had once again regained its sense of detachment. To the untrained eye, I looked unfrazzled, slightly bored. Except for the eyes. The heightened green were a dead giveaway that I had been about to cry. Fortunately, it was unlikely that James would notice, not with that damn slut hanging on his arm with her tits about to pop out of her silk blouse.

I closed my eyes tightly, willing the anger to melt away. I would need to keep my cool for this. I opened them back up and gave another critical look at my appearance. My ash blond hair was still in place, in the fashionable Kate Gossling do, giving me the all American suburban housewife look. I'd put on forty pounds since my wedding day, thanks to the rigors of six years of fertility treatments, but the curves leant me the aura of maturity, the thickening of my waist and hips positively screamed 'mom'. For once, I was thankful for this. It would play well in my favor while James and I stood before the judge to dissolve our marriage.

Today was our ten year anniversary. The irony of it all didn't escape my warped sense of humor. Ten years ago today I had stood before the justice of the peace on the first floor of this very building with James and swore that we would be together until death. I had been nineteen, fresh out of high school, a svelte 120 pounds, ready to start a future and family with the most perfect man in the world.

A very unladylike snort escaped at that last thought. Perfect my ass. But at the time, I had been absolutely mesmerized by him. All thoughts of college went straight out the window, I hadn't wanted any more from life but his love.

I rooted through my purse for my makeup, intent on a little touch up while I allowed myself this brief trip down memory lane.

Those first four years of marriage had been perfect. James came from a family with money, and we had spent the early years in grand style with exotic trips, extravagant gifts and long weekends where we never left our bed. We were so wrapped up in each other then. Our life together was like some sort of fairy tale.

Then came the baby years, or lack of one I should say. James wanted a house full of children in general, a son in particular. And so began the trips to specialists, the overload of synthetic hormones and chemicals pumped into my body, warping and changing me in more ways than just my outward appearance.

As each month passed with the return of my period, I sank further and further into depression. I hated my body, hated the constant barrage of pills, injections, and special diets. Hated that the only time I could get my husband to make love to me was when the calendar ok'ed my 'hot' days. Hated his baby obsession and my inability to give him what he wanted so much.

James became distant, and I felt our perfect love slip away effortlessly. I became obsessed with trying to gain his approval, to somehow win back the affection that I had lost, to no avail. I was a disappointment to him, I could see it in his eyes.

When the seventh round of invitro failed, my doctor sat us down for a talk. There was nothing wrong with me, physically, he had said. There were no medical explanations for why my body had failed, yet again, to accept an embryo. We had exhausted our options, he explained, and he felt it was in my best interest to stop the treatments. Maybe we could try again in another five years or so, but he wasn't optimistic. Perhaps we should look into adoption, he advised.

On the way home from the appointment, James dropped the bombshell. He no longer loved me. We would be better off apart. And my altogether favorite: he was tired of pretending to be someone he was not. Which loosely translated into: he didn't want a baby, he never had. He'd only gone with the program because I had forced him to.

Pain, despair, anger, heartache, abandonment. All these emotions overwhelmed me until I felt as though I were choking on them. Through a mist of tears I stared blindly ahead at the dashboard of his Lexus, listening as he told me in a monotone that he'd already made his decision. He wouldn't be returning home again. He would contact me through his lawyer.

With those parting words of wisdom, he had dropped me off in front of the house that until that morning, we had shared. During the few hours we had been gone, a moving crew he had hired had emptied it of everything save my personal items and the bed we had shared.

The next few hours were the worst of my life. I wandered through the barren rooms sobbing uncontrollably, as over and over again I was devastated by what should have been there but no longer was. Wedding photos, vacation momentos, even the tiny blue sleepers I'd purchased… gone, all gone. He'd left me nothing to hold onto. Exhausted, I fell down to the floor of the room James and I had decorated as a nursery, curled up into a ball, and cried myself to sleep.

I'm not really sure how long I laid there. Several hours was my best guess. It was fully dark outside when I awoke to the gentle voice of my sister-in-law and best friend Sarah.

She held me in her arms as I poured my heart out to her, and when I was once again cried out, she helped me to my bed and tucked me in like a child.

I awoke the next morning little better off than I'd been the night before. Sarah, gentle, understanding, broke the rest of the news to me. James had left me for another woman. A younger, thinner, and newly pregnant woman. And he intended to leave me with nothing, no money, no house, no car. He was completely cutting me out of his life, as if our marriage had never happened.

She assured me that the family wouldn't allow that. That SHE would never allow that to happen. Sarah helped me to grow some much needed steel in my spine and took me to meet her friend, the ball breaking divorce lawyer. Egged on by Sarah's outrage, I was out for blood, and the lawyer assured me that I would collect.

One last look in the mirror, and I was ready. I put my cosmetics in my purse and stepped out from the bathroom, once again feeling confident.

Sarah and David, my lawyer, stood in the hallway outside of courtroom six waiting for me. David looked up as I approached and smiled as he looked over my appearance. He was an utterly average looking professional man. Just under six foot, normal build, clean cut features. He was the type of man you passed on a busy street and promptly forgot about. He gave off a quiet, bookish impression.

It wasn't until he spoke and his clear gray eyes focused on you that his complete command of everything around him came into focus. Charismatic was a word that fell short of describing the effect he had over a courtroom.

Part of me wryly wondered what would have happened had he decided to lead a cult instead of going to law school.

"Wonderful!" he praised. "You look beautiful, Caro. As always. Remember what I told you? Remain dignified, no shows of anger."

I nodded and pasted a smile on my face.

"Oh, Caro! You ignore that stupid whore, and every time you feel the need to slap the slut red from her lips just remember that she's helping you by being here, ok?" Sarah gave me a brief squeeze and a meaningful look of understanding before heading into the courtroom.

David gave me as searching look.

"You're going to be ok. I promise." His voice lowered in concern as he place a hand against the small of my back and led me into the courtroom.

I tried not to look over at James, but failed. He'd allowed his chestnut hair to grow out a bit from his customary crew cut, and for the first time ever, he sported a rough goatee. A glint of gold in his ear gave away the presence of an earring. He was dressed surprisingly casual, with an untucked button up shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. It was a far cry from his usual custom tailored attire. He looked foolish, like he was trying too hard to look young.

And sitting there in the row behind him, in all her teenage, bottled blond glory, was the woman I like to refer to as the home wrecking hooker. She was smiling like an idiot, twirling a white blond lock on her finger as she chewed a large wad of Bubblicious. The pair of them gazed lovingly into each others eyes as they touched fingers over the railing that separated them.

My heart ached and my feet missed a step. Before I could react, David steadied me, and we continued to our designated seats.

Mere seconds later, a guard called out "all arise for the honorable Judge Lawrence Wilson. This court is now in session.

The case before you is Dawson vs. Dawson…"

I went through the motions in a fog. All my concentration was focused on a single thought: I will not cry. Over and over I played this in my head, my own very recent personal mantra. I stood as required, then resumed my seat. I focused on the little things as I stared at the fake wood grain on the table before me. Breath in, breath out. I will not cry. Breath in. relax.

From behind us I heard the snap of her bubble gum and imagined I could smell a whiff of her cheap perfume. I closed my eyes and willed myself not to care.

When I opened them, there was a yellow legal pad obstructing my view of the table. In a careful, even script were the words: _would you like his balls gift wrapped?_

I turned the sudden urge to laugh into a small coughing fit, and snuck a glance at David. The corners of his lips were turned up in a slight smile, but he appeared to focus on James' lawyer's opening remarks.

_'With a big fancy bow please'_ I wrote below it and passed the notepad back to david.

He glanced down for a second and smiled, scrawling a reply without looking before sliding it back to me.

_'There's my girl'_

I smiled and felt everything click back into place. My world was not crashing down, I would not let it.

Let the games begin, I thought to myself as I began to take notice of the proceedings around me.

All things considered, I could not have been happier with the outcome. I was awarded the marital home, the Mercedes, our condo in Cancun, and half of everything that James was worth. Oh, did I forget to mention the well endowed monthly alimony check I would be receiving until the day I remarried?

David, Sarah, and the whole Dawson family- minus James of course- took me out to dinner to celebrate. As the night wore on, the older and much younger members of the extended family left, and David slipped me a silver wrapped package topped off with a big sparkly bow.

"What's this?" I asked as I placed my rum and coke on the table so I could take the present in both hands.

"Unlike some men, I actually keep all my promises," he joked as he leaned over to kiss my temple. "Call me if you need me, Caro."

With a smile and a wave he was gone. Sarah and her younger sister Madeline were suddenly upon me, insisting that it was time to leave and find a dance floor, and the present was quickly forgotten.

I awoke the next morning in Sarah's guest bedroom with a splitting headache and a smile on my face. James' defection still hurt, hell the whole situation still hurt, but I hadn't let it get the best of me. And I'd taken a large chunk of his pride for my trouble.

I rolled over and spied the silver package on the nightstand, and immediately picked it up.

How had I forgotten to open this?

Carefully, I pulled back the paper to reveal a plain white box. Nestled inside amongst pink tissue paper was a card.

_Caro,_

_Normally, people hang these on the towing ball of their trucks. I recommend you hang yours on the review mirror of your ex husband's ex Mercedes. At least until you find a place for it on your mantle. Keep your chin up, kid. The worst part is over._

_D_

I removed a flesh colored contraption that looked remarkably like a scrotum, and began laughing so hard a tear coursed down my cheek.

Sarah popped her head in the door.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

I held the lifelike set of balls up.

"I'm gonna hang these in James' Mercedes!"

Her expression was priceless.

Somebody please make this into a credit card commercial, I thought to myself as I began laughing again.


	2. Escape to Cancun

"**Just take the damn book," Sarah said for the umpteenth time.**

**I ignored her as I walked into the master bathroom to grab my bag of toiletries, and returned to pack them into my suitcase. My flight left in three hours, and I was eager to be on it. Cancun at Christmas was much preferable to the northern Pennsylvania cold.**

"**You said there's no sex in it. What good is a love story without sex?"**

**She rolled her eyes at me and put the thick black book in my oversized purse. I pulled it back out and scanned the back cover.**

"**About three things I was absolutely positive," I read aloud. "First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how dominant that part might be, that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."**

**I raised an eyebrow and shot Sarah an unbelieving look.**

"**What?" She asked innocently.**

"**You cant be serious. I'm not reading this. It's a vampire book. And it doesn't even have the benefit of hot vampire sex." I tossed the book back onto my bed and hefted the zipped suitcase onto the floor and left the room.**

**Sarah grabbed the book hastily and followed me out into the hall.**

"**It's not a vampire book, not in the Anne Rice sense anyway. It's a love story. You're going to love it, I promise."**

**I stopped in the living room to grab my cell phone from the stand and watched from the corner of my eye as she slipped the book back into my unattended purse.**

"**You're going to need something to do on the plane. Just read it. No expectations. Seriously, Caro, I wouldn't tell you to read it unless it was good."**

"**Good like that 'Punch Drunk Love' movie you insisted I see?"**

**A guilty look crossed her face.**

"**That was a joke. I never expected you to actually watch the whole thing."**

"**Uh huh."**

**I picked the book up out of my purse and placed it on the counter as I walked past it to grab my keys.**

"**Caro! Wait!"**

**She followed me out to the foyer, and engulfed me in a big hug.**

"**Are you sure you want to go to Cancun? It's Christmas. You know you can always come over to Mom's house. James probably won't even bother to show up, he's so wrapped up in that slut that he can't even change his pants without her input. You're still family, you know." She was pleading, her little pixie face drawn up into a hopeful smile. This would be my first major holiday since the divorce.**

"**No, thanks anyway, Sarah. I'm going to spend Christmas on the beach. Just think, the sun, the sand, and cool drink in my hand. And you'll be here, freezing your ass off and drinking Dad's nasty eggnog. Give the kids a big kiss and hug for me. And don't forget to pass out my presents."**

**Her face fell for a brief second before she regained her usual smile.**

"**Maybe you'll find some hot local… take pictures for me! You know I want to live vicariously through your wicked newly single days."**

**I rolled my eyes at her, and turned to the front door. A taxi was waiting for me at the curb.**

"**Don't forget to set the alarm when you leave," I yelled over my shoulder as I lugged away my suitcases.**

* * *

**This was perfect. Absolutely perfect, I thought to myself. I looked around the crowded airport, and walked away from the information desk. What was I supposed to do now? I was, wait- where was I again?** _Oh yeah, Chicago._** I was stuck at the Chicago airport due to the blizzard raging outside. All hotels, motels and cheap dives were booked solid, and not even the promise of the black credit card in my purse could find me a bed anywhere. It was twelve thirty at night, and I knew absolutely no one in a fifty mile radius that I could call to pick me up. Not that they would be able to make it here, as most of the interstates were closed up tight.**

**I wandered aimlessly through the airport, wondering how long I would be stuck here. Through the window of one of the airport diners, I noticed a couple vacate a table, and I rushed over to steal the seat before someone else could snag it.**

**Reaching into my purse for my cell phone, I noticed the big black book that Sarah had begged me to read. I pulled it out and placed it on the table as I began to send her a text message.**

_'**Stuck in Chicago. Damn snow.'**_

**I hit send as an irritated looking waitress came up to take my order.**

"**Do you serve alcohol?" I asked her. At her nod, I requested a rum and coke.**

**My cell phone vibrated and I flipped it open to read Sarah's message.**

_'**I told you to stay home'**_

**Snarky bitch, I thought to myself with a smile.**

**The waitress returned with my drink, and I took a sip, glancing around the room. People of all shapes and sizes and all walks of life went about their business, talking on phones, typing on laptops, eating their suppers. I turned my attention to the book on the table and sighed. I didn't have anything better to do, and I didn't have any where else to go.**

**I flipped open the book and began to read the first few pages, intending on only skimming the first chapter… within minutes, I found myself absorbed into the pages, feeling myself again in the throes of first love along with the main character, a glaringly normal girl named Bella who just happened to fall in love with a devastatingly handsome vampire named Edward. My heart skipped a beat at their first kiss, and raced at the thought of impending danger. Tears streamed from my eyes as Bella was faced with hurting her father to save him from a dangerous vampire. I felt her longing and experienced her disappointment when Edward declined to changed her into a vampire. Before I knew it, I was closing the book, and noticing that it was 5 am.**

**On the back cover was the image of three more book covers, listed as the three subsequent sequels to the story.**

_Sequels?_ **I thought.** _There's more?_

**My eyes slightly blurry, I packed the book away into my purse and got up to find my way to the nearest gift shop. There were always books in airport gift shops, right? What were the odds that one would have these remaining books?**

**I walked into the first one that showed signs of being opened, and showed the cashier the book that Sarah had given me.**

"**You wouldn't happen to have any of the sequels, would you?"**

**The twenty something girl looked at me like I was asking a stupidly obvious question, like** _'do you sell post cards'_ **while standing next to a full rack of them. She stepped away from the counter and walked over to the large display of books, picking up all three.**

"**These are some of the most popular books we carry," the girl explained. "We sell about as much of them as we do the Stephen King and Danielle Steele. Have you seen the movies yet? I hear they weren't half bad."**

_There were movies, too?_** I'd definitely have to look into getting a copy once I reached Mexico.**

**I thanked her for her help as I grabbed a soda and paid for everything, before walking over the information desk.**

**I was informed by the super bitchy airline attendant that my flight was still grounded, and probably would remain so until at least early afternoon. I thanked her for her time in a sarcastic tone and walked over to the nearest empty chair by the terminal my flight was supposed to leave from.**

**Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the second book, New Moon, and spent a few seconds wondering what the hell the flower on the front was supposed to mean. In the first book, Twilight, the apple had been an obvious reference to the forbidden fruit of their relationship. But this flower… what kind of flower was that, anyway?**

**I skimmed the back cover and was slightly stunned to read that our faithful Edward, our hero, was destined to leave Bella. I snorted, of course he leaves her. I'm sure he found some pouty lipped vampire slut who sucked dick like a champ and left poor little virginal Bella in the dust. But if that was the case, why were there two more books after this one?**

**I flipped open the book, and once again found myself transported into the story. Chapters flew by as I felt myself holding my breath, worried, when Edward became distant. Tears fell from my eyes when he told her the he was leaving her, that he no longer wanted her. I knew how she felt when she finally curled up into a ball on the forest floor and cried for her lost love. **

**My heart stuttered when I turned the pages marked simply with the name of each month that passed. I knew that pain.**

**I read on as she discovered her need to break her last promise to the oh so perfect Edward. At least I had been able to hire David and take the bastard for everything he had. But as the pages turned, I realized I would have settled for the well muscled Native named Jacob who was obviously in love with her. I cried when once again, her happiness was marred by the rejection of her special friend.**

_Wait, he was a werewolf?_** I guess I saw that coming. Didn't she have a dream about him turning into a wolf in the first book? And against the odds, Jacob had found a way to keep himself apart of her life.** _Wake up Bella_**, I kept thinking. **_Jerkward is not coming back. And you wouldn't want him if he did, not after Jake._

_Where's my Jacob_**, I thought to myself. I could use a guy like that around. Fixes cars, makes you laugh, is easy on the eyes and promises eternal servitude…**

**And just when I was beginning to feel a little hope that our faithful Jacob was finally going to get a chance with our heroine, the vampires have to come back. Where were they when she was being hunted by those other vampires? It was their fault that she was being hunted in the first place.**

**I nearly threw the book across the lobby when I read about Edward going to Italy to commit suicide. What kind of pussy was he anyway? And poor Jake, left behind like so much trash while Bella ran off to save Edward from himself.**

**Against my better judgment, I felt myself falling in love with Edward again as he told of his misery without her, and explained that he had left -not because he didn't love her as he had originally claimed- but because he felt it was better for her to live without him. My heart was torn in two, when at the end, she came face to face with the pain she had caused Jake by not choosing to be with him.**

**I closed the book at noon, a full twelve hours after having finished the first giant installment of the series. My eyes were bright and puffy from untold tears, and my nose was a bit stuffy. Even though I was utterly exhausted, I couldn't wait to open the next book.**

**First, I made a stop at the information desk. The weather had broken up during the night, and crews were out on the runways. It would be another few hours before we could all be on our collective ways. I returned to my seat, intent on starting the next book, and instead fell promptly asleep.**

**I dozed off and on throughout the remainder of my flight to Cancun. I was tired. And unbelievably hungry. When I arrived in Mexico, I took a cab to my condo, and crashed on the giant king sized bed without another thought.**

**I awoke to the bright sunlight filtering in through the windows. Ah, Mexico. I stepped outside onto the deck facing the gulf and took in deep breaths of the warm salty air. I was anxious to continue reading the books, but I was also in desperate need of a shower and a good meal, so I ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant and hopped into the bathroom to freshen up. I was out and dressed in my favorite bathing suit and shorts before the delivery man showed up.**

**Sarah called while I was eating, and I briefly chatted with her while I stuffed my face. Literally. I was hungry. She finally let me go when she was tired of listening to me munch away.**

**I grabbed my best pair of Jackie O sunglasses, a tall glass of water, and the third book in the series, Eclipse, and settled into an overstuffed chair placed in the sun. **

**And so the next two days past, with me sitting in that chair reading, taking brief breaks to use the bathroom, eat, stretch, and nap when I could no longer keep my eyes open. By the end of Eclipse, I was rooting for Jacob. Screw Edward, he was being too controlling, too protective, too much like a dad. I was so angry when he disabled her truck to keep her form seeing Jake, and when he had his sister 'kidnap' her when he had to leave town. It was this sort of thing that restraining orders were made for, am I right? Though, how her father was supposed to enforce that when he couldn't even keep the guy out of his daughter's room overnight was beyond me.**

**And no sex! What the hell? If it had been me, there would have definitely been sex, and lots of it. First with Edward before he left, and then with Jacob. Lots and lots with Jacob. Maybe some make up sex with Edward, but we'd have to see if he could earn it…**

**Then there was Breaking Dawn, the final chapter in the whole series. The best I could say about it was that everyone found a happy ending. Convoluted and unlikely, and there were definite times when I thought I would put the book down and never pick it back up, the most notably being when the author skipped from the newly married couple standing naked in the ocean about to have sex directly to the two of them waking up naked in bed. But I still had to find out what would happen next. Even when she unexplainably became pregnant by her vampire husband, whose only bodily fluids it said earlier in the book were venom(which interestingly enough, made me wonder how they were kissing so hot and heavy. Shouldn't he have been secreting venom instead of saliva? How did that work?) Even when the author turned the beloved Jacob into some sort of creepy pedophile by having him 'imprint' on Bella's newborn daughter.**

**And so I put down Breaking Dawn at it's conclusion, somewhat disappointed, but still feeling a sense of closure for the characters I had fallen in love with over the past few days. I took a deep breath gingerly. In my haste to keep reading in the sun on my first day, I had forgotten my sun block, and was now a bright shade of red everywhere. Thank goodness Sarah wasn't here. She would have teased me non stop. I could almost hear her voice now** _' thought you said you wouldn't like them, Caro.'_

**I went to bed early that night, pondering the whole Jake/Edward/Bella triangle. I couldn't help putting my own experience into the mix while considering the dynamics of it. Sure, it was just a book. A good book at that. But where was the justice? Jake should have realistically have gotten the girl in the end. Maybe it was just my almost thirty brain putting a spin on it, but I would have chosen Jake. Because, really, the 'perfect' guy that leaves, never comes back. And if he does, you quickly realize that he wasn't nearly as perfect as you once thought he was, in fact, he usually becomes unbelievably annoying.**

**It was my fourth day in Mexico, and it was Christmas Eve. I made the usual round of calls to my now ex in-laws, wishing them happy holidays and sending my regrets at not being there with them. I loved that family, and even though I was no longer married to the prodigal son, they still considered me as one of their own.**

**Madeline, the family gossip, had to inform me that James' cunt girlfriend had given birth to a boy the day before. Eight pounds, six ounces. My heart ached at the news. That should have been my son. I hung up my cell phone with the overwhelming urge to lay down and cry. **_Merry Christmas, Caroline,_** I thought to myself.**

**Instead of wallowing in grief at what was and what could never be, I took a long walk on the beach, relishing the feel of the warm water on my feet. The sun on my back was a soothing balm to my wounded ego, and I did my best not to think of the situation.**

**When I returned to the condo, Lucita and her teenage kids Rosa and Guillermo where there, tidying up and doing the little odd jobs around the place. They were a part of the local family that I had hired to look after the place while I was away, and to do the housekeeping. I gave her a Christmas card, with a hefty bonus inside for doing a job that was above and beyond what I had expected of her. James had never thought to give out Christmas bonuses to the help, not even when they so obviously deserved it. It was time to change that. **

**Rosa commented on the Twilight books I had left sitting out on the counter. I asked her in my halting Spanish if she had read them. She replied that of course she had read them, hadn't every one? Had I seen the movies yet? New Moon had just come out on DVD.**

**Lucita saw the gleam in my eye when her daughter had mentioned the movies, and promised to find an English version of them and have Guillermo bring them over later that afternoon. The woman was a godsend. I spent the evening watching an English dubbed over version of each.**

**Christmas morning dawned no different than any other day, and it was relatively easy to imagine that is wasn't a special day as I combed the empty beach for seashells. The weather was still holding out beautifully, the sun warm and high in the sky even though the weather man had predicted rain.**

**After a few minutes of debating, I decided to go for a swim. Had the beach contained even one other person, there wouldn't have been a force great enough to get me to strip down to my bathing suit in front of them, but since I was alone I thought nothing of slipping out of the light cover I wore over my beloved one piece suit. I sighed at the sight of my thighs bulging from the elastic, and resolved to look into lipo when I returned home. I had tried every diet known to man in the hopes of losing some of this extra weight left over from the fertility treatments, to no avail. I missed my old body.**

**The water was so warm, like stepping into a luke warm bath. The waves were gentle, and I dived in after the depth reached my waist, swimming out past the breaking point. I tried not to think about all the little creatures swimming unseen in the water with me, and flipped over to float on my back, staring up into the clear sky.**

**It was there that my grief struck me. James had a son. And I never would. The pain in my chest exploded, and I began to sob hysterically. I tried to hold it together long enough to swim to shore, but every time I tried to suck in another breath between my wrenching cries, I inhaled just a little bit of water.**

**I began to cough, unable to catch my breath. Tears streamed down my face, and my chest felt as though it were on fire. I wasn't getting any closer to the beach, in fact, I couldn't even see it all that well through the tears. A cramp stabbed my side, and I tried to double over. I had swam in far enough that the waves were beginning to break around me, and a larger one hit me in the face, sucking me under. Panic began to set in, and I kicked my legs and flailed my arms in an attempt to push myself to the surface.**

**The salt water burned my eyes, and I was making no headway in the water. Black spots appeared before my eyes. In a single second of clarity before the black took over I thought '**_ you just had to go swimming, didn't you, dumb ass.'_

**I heard voices. No, wait- it was just a single voice. Low and melodic, I instinctively trusted this voice, though I did not recognize it. I felt the sand beneath my body, warm hands pushing on my chest.**

"**Breath." he commanded.**

**I opened my mouth in an attempt to comply and began coughing. I felt myself being rolled over onto my side as I my stomach roiled, and streams of salt water poured from my mouth. I still couldn't breath. Every time I tried, all I succeeded in doing was coughing out more water, endless amounts of water. Part of me knew that was good, that it was to be expected, but the other part was on the verge of hysteria because I could not take in one tiny bit of much needed air.**

**I felt his hands rub my back.**

"**That's it, get it all out. It's all going to be ok, Caro. Just relax and let the water come out. Breath."**

**Finally, I felt air begin to scour my throat, in, then out. In, then out. My lungs still burned, but it was no longer from the need to breath. It was now from the act of breathing.**

**I realized that I was cold, freezing in fact. Cold droplets fell from the sky, and it dawned on me that the rain that had been predicted had finally arrived. I began to shiver uncontrollably.**

**Warm arms surrounded me, lifting me up from the sand.**

"**Let's get you home," the voice murmured.**

_Home, yes_**. I tried to open my eyes, but they too burned, and everything I saw was ringed in foggy halos of gray light. I pointed in what I hoped was the general direction of the condo and tried to burrow further into the warmth of the chest I was held tightly against, too cold and tired to worry about how that might appear to this stranger.**

"**Home," I croaked, and felt myself slip away again, only this time into an exhausted sleep.**


	3. Waking up in Forks

I became aware of being wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, dry and safe. My lips were cracked painfully, and my throat felt burned, parched as the desert. Gently, testing my limits, I stretched out my legs a bit and felt no resistance.

"You're awake," a feminine voice cried, and I felt a dip in pressure next to me, as if someone had sat on a mattress. I was surprised to learn I was in a bed.

Gingerly, I opened my scratchy eyes and looked up into the face of a young girl leaning over me. She reached out and smoothed a piece of hair from my face and smiled, relief clear in her features.

"You had me worried there for a while. You've been asleep for almost six hours. I wasn't sure if I should take you to a hospital."

I nodded dumbly, and looked around, taking in my surroundings. Above me, the ceiling was peaked and painted a faded white, the walls of the room were paneled. _Where was I?_

"It's ok. Don't worry. I didn't tell Charlie what happened."

_Charlie? Was that the name of the guy that pulled me out of the water? Didn't he already know I almost drowned?_

I pulled myself up into a sitting position and rubbed my eyes. The girl slid back on the mattress and watched me with huge brown eyes filled with concern. She had long chesnut hair that hung loose, one side tucked behind an ear. She was incredibly thin, and pale, almost sickly looking.

"Do you want to go to the hospital? They said you swallowed a lot of water, maybe you should get an IV or something before you dehydrate from the salt water."

I shook my head no.

"I just need a drink," my voice came out sounding raw and coarse.

The girl pressed a tall plastic cup of water into my hands, and I quickly drank it down. _Ug, water_. Even without the salty taste, I didn't like the feel of it in my mouth, but it did make the ache in my throat lessen.

"What happened?" I asked as I handed her back the cup.

The girl shrugged her shoulders as she got up to place the cup on the top of a dresser before coming back to sit down next to me on the bed.

"I'm not sure what it was that you were doing in the water, but lucky for you Embry happened to spot you out there, and he pulled you out. What were you thinking, Caro? Do you realize that if he hadn't found you that you would have died?" Her eyes were anguished, and she reached out to take my hand in hers.

"I know that I haven't really been… I don't know, _available? _for you, but you don't need to….to…. _do_ whatever it was and almost die!"

I gave the girl a strange look. _Available for me? What the hell?_ I'd never met this girl before in my life.

"Look, I went for a swim. So if this is some sort of suicide prevention, you can stop now."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, sweeping back the faded quilt…. And stopped dead in my tracks. _Those were not my legs_. My thighs hadn't been that thin in…I don't know, years? Since before I'd gotten married, at least. Possibly longer than that.

I pulled the blanket further from my body and stood up, yanking the oversized tee shirt I was wearing up to look at my now flat stomach. I ran the tips of my fingers over the tiny little swell below my belly button, mesmerized. Thunder thighs missing, check. Love handles MIA, check check. I craned my neck to look over my shoulder. Big droopy bulbous butt, once again, not there.

Shocked, I slapped the palms of my hands to my chest, and felt a small level of disappointment to realize the girls had shrunk. The only good thing about having gained all the weight had been the generous natural cleavage it had provided. I pulled open the neck of the shirt to look them over. I was lucky if I now had a small b. I could live with that, I supposed, if it meant I could keep everything else. With the right push up bra, I could still look good in my clothes.

"Caro? Caro, what's wrong? Are you ok?" The girl asked.

But I was too stunned to respond. Just as I had let go of the neck band of the shirt, I noticed a long strand of ash blond hair hanging over my shoulder. I reached up to touch my head, running my fingers through my hair, and it just kept going…. My hair was longer, much longer. It trailed down to mid back in one long thick sheet. I hadn't had hair this length since….well, sometime before I had met James. He had never liked long hair, claiming it made him feel like he was making out with Cousin It when we were together. I had a brief flash of the home wrecking hooker and her cascades of wispy white blond hair, and felt a twitch of deep seated anger momentarily, before pushing it away and returning to the situation at hand.

This was just too much. Panic had fallen over me like a bucket of ice water, and I ran my fingers over my face frantically. Everything was wrong, all wrong. _Was I still me? Did I have some sort of mental breakdown? Was I now really in some Mexican mental health facility, drooling and waiting for my meds?_ Sarah would come for me, wouldn't she? They would call Sarah, and she would come for me. She would make sure that I received everything medical science had to offer in the way of help…

I realized it was vain, but I was worried about my face. _Was my face ok? Was it still MY face?_

I dashed to the set of stairs that were located in the floor near the far wall, heading for the nearest bathroom with no idea where it was. I heard the fall of the girl's feet behind me as she followed my frantic search.

At the bottom of the stairs, I entered a hallway. I could either go right or left, each option had two doors that were closed, and I was left with the decision of which way to go?

"Caro, please! What's wrong?" I heard her miss a step and stumble a bit on the stairs before she caught herself on the railing.

"Bathroom!" I yelled as I swung my head back to her. She pointed to the door closest to me on the left, and I yanked the door open, and felt blindly in the dark room for the light switch. I didn't even pause to thank her when she reached in under my arm and the room lit up.

Standing before the mirror, I ran my fingers over my cheekbones, my nose, my lips, pulling the hair back as I inspected my face. It was definitely my face, only it had been a while since it had _been_ my face. The skin was smoother, the tiny laugh lines that had begun to form in the last few years, gone. The little scar on the tip of my chin from skiing five years ago, gone. The dark circles I had been sporting under my eyes for the last year or so, also gone. I was a kid again. I could have passed for seventeen, eighteen, easily.

Unfortunately, all that hair on my head looked a mess.

"Will you say something, please! I'm freaking out here! Should I call 911?"

Pulling the shirt back up and turning sideways as I gazed in the mirror, I smiled.

"I haven't looked this good since I was nineteen," I mumbled to myself.

"Nineteen? Caro, we won't be nineteen until September. What's going on? Did you hit your head or something?" She threaded her fingers through my hair, inspecting my skull. "I don't see any blood…"

_Hit my head?_ I definitely hit something, but I was liking these results.

"Yeah, I think I hit my head." I went along with the idea as I pulled away from her hands, feeling uncomfortable with her closeness. _Who was this girl?_

"I'm going to call Charlie. Maybe you have a concussion or something, we should get you checked out-" She turned to walked out the door, and I grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back.

"No! Don't call anyone, I'm fine, I promise. I just need a shower, and some caffeine or something. And then we need to have a talk."

She turned and looked searchingly into my eyes, as if trying assess the wisdom of my words.

"Ok. Take a shower. I'll grab you some clothes, and then we'll sit down and talk. Sometimes I get a little confused when I hit my head too. It probably didn't help that you swallowed all that sea water, either."

I flashed her my most reassuring smile, and after a few seconds hesitation, she returned it, and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

I glanced at my figure in the mirror again. Whatever this was, however bad off I was in reality, I was just going to relax and go along with this. It had to be a dream. A very realistic dream. Or maybe some sort of drug flashback. _Did that happen from smoking pot a couple times when you were a kid?_ Damn that one semester in college…

Turning to the shower, I knelt down to figure out the workings before turning the hot water on and letting it run. Mist quickly filled the room, and I rummaged through the cabinets until I came up with a thin, clean towel. Definitely not the Egyptian cotton I was used to, but it would do.

The spray felt beyond wonderful on my skin. After I had thoroughly wetted my hair, I glanced over the array of shampoos on the little shelf. Head and Shoulders? Strawberry suave? What, no conditioner? With these kind of options, I was bound to get split ends sooner rather than later. But I sucked it up, and washed the salty crust from my skin and hair, making a mental note to pick up some better body wash if I didn't wake up before the next time I needed to shower.

True to her word, the girl had brought me in some clean clothes. I gave the little blue and purple plaid on white button up blouse a doubting look, but slipped it on over the simple white cotton bra provided. I giggled like a little kid at Christmas when I noticed that the jeans in the pile were a size 6. _Size 6! I could fit in a size 6!_ I didn't even mind that they were cut like mom jeans…

I stepped from the bathroom and into the hallway, unsure of where to go from here. So I followed the sound of movement coming from down the stairs to realize the girl was in the kitchen fixing some sandwiches.

"I figured you were probably hungry," she responded to my look of questioning, and pointed to the worn little table, indicating I should take a seat.

A few minutes later, she brought me a turkey sandwich and a tall plastic cup of milk. After the first bite, I realized that I really was hungry, and gobbled it up, pausing only to drink from the cup periodically. The girl watched from her seat across the table, like I was some sort of freak show.

"I was hungry. It was good, thank you." I told her sheepishly as she finally lifted her sandwich to take a delicate little nibble on the bread.

I glanced around the room curiously while I waited for her to finish eating. The kitchen was rather dark, the only thing livening it up was the faded yellow paint on the cabinets. The white countertops were pristine, if showing little signs of wear, and I detected the faint smell of Clorox Cleanup in the air.

"Ok," she said when she finally finished, standing up and walking over to the sink to grab the washcloth hanging from the spickot, wiping down the crumby mess we had left on the table. I waited until she had finished, wondering all the while if she had OCD, and returned to her seat.

"What did you want to talk about?" She peeked up at me through her lashes cautiously.

"Well," I began, unsure what I should tell this nice girl. If this was going to be a long, drawn out dream, I didn't think I should worry her about my mental state. What if I was in a coma? I felt a small bit of panic at the thought, and pushed it aside. I would be fine. Whatever was really going on in the real world, Sarah would make sure I was ok.

"Let's pretend that I hit my head hard. _Really hard_. And while I was out, I had this dream, see? And now, because I hit my head, I'm having a really hard time telling reality from the dream. So…I guess what I need you to do, is pretend I know nothing about my life, and you can fill me in on all the details." I flashed her another smile, hoping that I hadn't scared her with that jumbled mess that had just spewed from my mouth. "I don't want us to worry Charlie unless we have to…" I finished, hoping the bit of name dropping would help my case.

Her brows furrowed as she thought this over.

"But you said you were fine. This doesn't sound fine to me."

"I'm sure once you tell me everything, it will all just click into place. Kind of like trying to remember what you were thinking about right before you forgot what you were going to say to someone? Does that make sense?"

She nodded, and I felt a bit of relief. God, kids could be stupid sometimes.

"Ok. I'll do it. Like you know nothing? Hmmm… ok. You and I were born on September 13, 1979. We're the only children of Renee Brady and Charlie Swan. They got a divorce shortly after we were born, and Mom moved to Arizona with the two of us to pursue her teaching degree… hmmm. Mom remarried about two years ago, to a guy name Phil. He's an amateur baseball player, and he travels a lot, which is why the two of us moved up here to live with Charlie."

_You have got to be kidding me_, I thought as I felt my jaw drop. Didn't I just read something along these lines? Did I just have a mental breakdown and land in Twilight?

"Well, we're almost done with our senior year. Your failing Trig, but swore me to secrecy in hopes of pulling off some sort of miracle. I don't know what else to say."

I took a deep breath, and looked up into her concerned eyes. _What the hell, Caro,_ I thought to myself. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"You left out the part about your boyfriend the vampire. How am I supposed to know what part of the story we're in if you don't tell me about him?"

I watched as her wan little face dropped, and her thin arms wound around herself tightly. Her breathing came in little gasps, and tears filled her eyes. My guess was we were in New Moon.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

I rolled my eyes. She really was a horrible liar.

"Bella," I said her name hesitantly, and she looked up at me when I paused. "Just cut the shit and tell me what's going on with Edward." She cringed as I said his name. A single tear trailed down her cheek.

"Nothing. There's nothing going on with _him_. He's gone. He's not coming back."

Definitely New Moon. But had she met Jacob yet? The wolves? And it was in that moment that her earlier statement about Embry pulling me out of the water clicked into place. If she knew who Embry was, then she'd already met Jacob. But something she had said was bothering me…

"1979?" She nodded. "But then, how are we eighteen?"

Alarm flashed across her face.

"Because it's 1998...I really think we should call Charlie now."

I shook my head no, still a little floored by her statement. 1998? Well, I guess that explained the jeans. _Just roll with it, Caro_, I thought.

"No, I'm good, really. It helped. A lot. Now I just need some caffeine, and I realize it's probably too much to ask for a Starbucks around here."

Bella, (even in my thoughts, it was hard to call this girl by that name. She was so skinny, pale, and frail looking, with the long gangly body of thirteen year old, and big soulful eyes. No wonder there wasn't any sex in the books) shot me a confused look.

"What's a Starbucks?"

I shook my head and stood up.

"A fancy kind of coffee…never mind. How bout I get you to run me down to the nearest convenience store so I can figure something out."

She shrugged her shoulders, clearly relieved at the shift in conversation.

"Alright."

It wasn't until we were out the door and walking towards her ancient red truck that I remember one important detail.

"Damn. Bella, can I borrow a few bucks?"

She turned and look at me with that same confused look.

"Don't tell me you're broke. You make more money than I do, and you horde every cent you have. College fund, remember?"

I tilted my head to the side as I contemplated her statement. If I was now a fictional character in a fictional story, would it be wrong to spend my fictional college fund?

"Really? Do I keep it in the bank, or …" I tried to think hard back to the time when I really was eighteen. Did I have a debit card? That would make things so much easier. Did they even have debit cards?

She nodded slowly as she looked me over.

"Do you want me to get your wallet out of your car?" She asked carefully, as if afraid to startle me.

"My car?"

I looked over to the behemoth that was Bella's truck, and there, parked just on the other side of it, was a navy blue Ford escort. I was no autophile (I smirked at the thought) but it looked to be from the early 90s. Quite a difference in vehicles, from her large truck to my tiny two door hatchback. I wondered if that meant I wasn't as accident prone as Bella, and therefore more capable of handling a more destructible vehicle.

Within seconds, the two of us were ensconced in her tank of a truck and lugging along down the highway to the nearest mini mart. _Please, please, please let Red Bull have been invented_, I pleaded silently. Or at least some Amp or something.

As luck would have it, Red Bull was around in 1998. I used the little ATM in the corner to withdraw some cash, and I purchased two cans and a diet coke and met Bella back out in the truck.

"I can't believe you actually drink that stuff," she commented as I looked over the slip from the ATM. "It's not like it really does anything for you. It's just a bunch of caffeine, right?"

"Here, try it. It's pretty addictive. Drink it when you need a little boost." I handed her one of the cans in the bag, and she looked it over carefully.

"Here goes nothing," she said as she popped the top and gulped it down, grimacing at the super sweet taste. "That tastes horrible!"

I smiled at the look on her face.

"I don't drink it for the taste, Bella. Drink it all, and then give it a minute."

I watched her as she slugged the rest down, and popped the top of my own can. No more than two minutes passed, and she looked up at me with a strange expression.

"I definitely feel… something."

"So…Bella. What do we do for fun around here?" I asked her casually as she collected our cans and put them in the little plastic bag that dangled from a knob in the dash.

"Well, you have your own set of friends. I'm not really sure what you guys do, go to parties and the movies and such, I guess. I used to go to La Push…" her voice became wistful as it trailed off, and I hazarded a guess as to where we were in the story.

"Jacob still hasn't called?" I asked.

She shook her head no, and looked away.

"It's been three weeks." Her voice sounded so pitiful and lost.

"Then let's go find him."

She jerked her gaze over to me.

"You don't understand. There's something wrong. I haven't even told Charlie yet. I-I think he's been brain washed. He's been hanging around that Sam Uley, and he used to be kinda afraid of him before, because of how weird he acts, and now Embry's been acting weird, I guess."

I couldn't hold back the laugh that issued from my lips. She just looked so damn serious, and scared.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I couldn't resist. I forgot about the brainwashing thing. Ok, so let's go find him. We'll find out one way or another what's going on, right?"

She nodded, a new resolve on her face, and put the truck in gear. Apparently, we were La Push bound. I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. We were going to meet Jacob! I wondered how well my version of him in my mind stacked up against him in the flesh. Would he look like Taylor Lautner? One could only hope… And we wouldn't only see him, but the rest of the pack, as well, if I had guessed where we were in the story right. Hot men, half naked! Bring it on! I was trying hard not to bounce in my seat. This was the most excitement I'd had all year that didn't involve legal council.

Maybe this whole mental breakdown thing wouldn't be half bad.


	4. Gaining Membership to the Club

I stared out the window as she drove, a little in awe at the passing scenery. It was so utterly _green_ here. I mean, I was used to thick forests at home, but these trees, they were just huge, the ferns towering like something out of a discovery channel show about the dinosaurs.

_Don't think of dinosaurs_, I immediately scolded myself. The last thing you need is to start dreaming of velociraptors stalking from the forest. Weren't vampires enough? And god knows the girl in the drivers seat probably couldn't handle something else trying to kill her.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She just seemed so frail, like a strong wind could just blow her away. It made me want to lock her up somewhere and keep her safe. She barely looked strong enough to drive this truck with it's lack of power steering. She really had to put her weight behind the wheel with every turn.

The trees began to thin out, and Bella began to slow down. A young man dressed in a baseball outfit was slowly walking down the opposite side of the road, and she rolled down her window as she stopped.

_What the-?_ I thought. Oh yeah, this must be Quil. Ok, high five to myself for being dead on in the story. She began to question him, and I got an idea, popping open her glove box, banking on her OCD to find a pen and paper. Voila! Thank you, Bella.

Off to my right, I heard Quil say something about running through the woods after Jacob and Embry. Quickly I scratched a message on the paper, hoping that it sounded reasonable. If everything went according to the story today, Bella would be in on the secret of the wolves by tomorrow afternoon, but I would have to do some quick maneuvering if I wanted to be in on it too. Whatever I wrote had to make sense later, but be just nonsense now. Maybe if I gave it to Sam while she talked to Jacob…

_Jacob's breakin the law, breakin the law_

_He takes a bite out of crime. Not really, just Paul_

_Embry takes Jared's money_

_Bella's over for muffins_

_Don't think of her as an 'inside spy', but the info comes in handy_

_Meet Victoria_

_Bank on all of the legends being true_

Well, I guess that sort of summarized the next chapter, right? It was vague enough that if Sam read it he wouldn't know what it meant and be able to prevent any of it from happening, but precise enough that he'll realize I knew it was going to happen after the fact. If that didn't prove they aught to let me in the club, I didn't know what else would. I doubted that I would find myself in possession of a love crazed werewolf willing to get me membership in their secret club anytime soon.

I folded the paper, and put it in my pocket as the door to the truck opened.

"Caro, would you slide over so we can give Quil a ride home?"

I mumbled sure as he opened the door. Sliding over on the bench seat, I allowed the conversation between Bella and Quil to flow around me without contributing. My thoughts were busy swirling around the note I'd just stuffed into my pocket. _What was I doing?_ This was only a dream. Odds were that I'd awaken at any moment. Why was I trying to mess with the storyline here?

As slow as Bella was driving, the ride to Quil's family's store still passed by quickly. Which was a really good thing, as sitting with my shoulder, arm, and leg pressed against the large frame of the boy next to me began to make me sweat. The corners of the windows in the truck were beginning to fog up. How did anyone not notice this boy was running a temperature?

"Thanks for the ride, Bella. It was nice to meet you, Caro."

The sad tone of his voice murmuring my name caught my attention, and a part of me felt bad for ignoring him. The poor kid had just lost his two best friends to lycanthropy, and he had no idea they'd left him high and dry for his own safety.

Without thinking, I stretched out my arm and placed my hand on his shoulder. Damn, he was hot. _To the touch_, I amended mentally, as a part of me registered the width of his shoulders and the defined muscles beneath my hand. _He's just a kid, you pervert_.

"Quil, wait."

He turned a sad, puppy dog look on me, and my heart went out to him.

"Don't worry about your friends. They're all right, I promise. I bet you guys will be tighter than a pack of wolves before the school year is out."

Mentally, I cringed at the words that had just fallen out of my mouth. _Way to keep the secret, Caro_. Quil gave me a searching look before giving me a cheesy little grin. _Oh great, now he thinks I'm flirting with him_. I quickly dropped my hand and flashed him the most patronizing, momish smile I could muster. When I'd thought earlier about having a love struck werewolf of my own, I hadn't been serious. Honest.

"Thanks, Caro." Did he just stare at my boobs?

Quil closed the truck door behind him and began walking away, a little bit of a strut to his step.

_He's what? Fifteen?_

"Maybe sixteen. He's the same age as Jacob. I hear he's single."

I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until Bella replied to the question. I did a double take at the sly smile on her face.

"Not interested, thanks."

"Not even a little bit?" She asked sweetly as she negotiated a three point turn on the deserted road.

"That's not even legal, Bella, I'm almost twice his age," I bit out as I felt a small part of me panic. What had I just started? I just wanted to give the poor kid a little hope.

A muffled giggle escaped her lips, and I turned to look at her in surprise. She glanced at my shocked face quickly before returning her eyes back to the road.

"That may be stretching it just a bit, don't you think?"

"Not really," I mumbled to myself, eliciting another laugh from the girl sitting next to me. She was shaking her head as we pulled over to the side of the road across from a small, red wooden house that leaned slightly to the left.

I felt my head tilt automatically as I looked it over, subconsciously trying to straighten it out. Five large pines separated the house from a rutted drive way that cut through the yard, leading to what I assumed was Jacob's garage. The two pre-fab sheds weren't the prettiest addition, but it was certainly clever. Moss grew thickly over the roof nearest the trees.

"So… this must be the famous Black Estate."

I saw the strange look Bella shot in my direction, but chose to ignore it.

"Do you want to come in with me?" She asked nervously several minutes later. I shook my head no, knowing full well that we had to wait a while before Jacob would be allowed to come outside to talk to Bella.

I could feel several pairs of eyes on us as Bella skittered across the road, tripping over the bottom porch step along the way. Just watching the way the girl walked made me think of a little mouse scrambling around, trying desperately not to achieve notice. Maybe if she had the teensiest bit of confidence, she wouldn't trip over her own two feet so much. I made a mental note to help her with that if I was still here tomorrow.

I watched as she shifted nervously from one foot to the other as she waited for someone to answer the door. Minutes ticked by slowly till Billy Black finally answered her repeated knocking, a clear scowl on his once handsome looking features. Their words were too low for me to hear, but I knew the gist of the conversation. Even if I didn't, I could tell by the slump of her shoulders quickly followed by the slam of the front door that things hadn't gone well.

Bella returned to the truck slowly, her head hung low. I could see the sparkle of tears in her eyes as she climbed back into the cab of the truck.

"He's not home," she said dully, and I could hear the rejection in her voice. She reached for the keys she had left in the ignition, intent on driving off. As quick as I could manage, I grabbed them before she could reach them.

"Is he your best friend or not?" I asked her in a slightly irritated voice when she turned her sad, pathetic gaze on me.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and wait for him?" She asked with just a hint of a whine to it, clearly meaning it as a rhetorical question.

"Yeah. Grow some balls, Bella. If we stay here long enough, he will come out and talk to you."

The expression on her face comically changed from self pitying to shock to outrage to thoughtful in a matter of seconds.

"Do you really think he's in there and they won't let him see me?" She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Absolutely."

I watched as she visibly mustered up her sense of courage and self righteousness.

"We're not leaving until I see my best friend." Her chin settled stubbornly, and her eyes took on an angry gleam.

"I saw a special on 20/20 about deprogramming teens that are brain washed from cults. Between the two of us, I think we could trick Jake into getting in the truck and we could stage an intervention at our house. If it doesn't work, we'll have to talk him into running away. Sam's not going to get him, if I can help it."

It took everything I had to keep from busting up laughing, the effort causing tears to pool in my eyes. Her face was just so honest, so serious- and she was just so wrong about the situation. In the back of my mind, I tried to imagine the situation she described: Jacob, tied to a chair in the kitchen in Forks, under the bright glaring light we shine on him, as we tell him over and over 'you will not be a member of the pack'. Somewhere in the equation, I'm envisioning the two of us in monks robes chanting. I had to look away to keep a hold of my composure.

"Don't worry, Caro. We'll tell Charlie, he'll help us."

A loud snort escaped my lips as she tried to comfort me, and I slapped a hand over my mouth and I bent over, desperately trying to hold back the peals of laughter threatening to erupt. Charlie had just joined in on the picture in the back of my head, which was looking more and more like an exorcism than an intervention.

"Don't cry. Jeez, I'm sure they're not actually hurting Jacob. He'll be ok." She began rubbing the space between my shoulders. Several minutes passed before I felt sure I could act normal again, and slowly, taking deep breaths, I sat up and wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape my control.

"Ok?" She asked, concerned.

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk just yet.

"We'll save him, Caro. He's like family to us." She promised solemnly. I felt my lips begin to twitch, but found the inner strength to hold back.

Fortunately, our little hallmark moment was interrupted by a loud knock on the driver's side window.

Bella jumped at the unexpected sound, hitting her head against the back windshield in her rush to turn towards the source of the noise. Our eyes were met by five nearly identical sets of angry glares.

It wasn't hard to pick out the one that was Jacob. Even though he was noticeably furious, there was also something about the way he looked at Bella that made me think he was glad that she had come. The other four held an air of nervousness about them, understandably, as I'm sure they were worried about whether or not Jake was up to the confrontation without maiming someone. The one off to Jake's left just looked plain pissed. That one was probably Paul of the Raging Temper.

I scanned their faces freely, not worried about being caught staring as I was sure they were all focused on intimidating Bella and keeping Jacob from exploding into a wolf. They were all extremely tall, well over six feet each. Intellectually, I knew this from reading the books, but found I was completely unprepared for the reality of seeing it. Their shoulders were so wide, their necks thick. In fact, all five of their naked chests were well corded with perfectly sculpted muscle, without the gross snaking of multiple veins that comparable body builders possessed. Their dark skin positively glowed, and I wanted to reach out and touch them. This was so much better than the movie…

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. They did not look like jail bait, not at all. I felt the unreasonable urge to reach for my dollar bills.

I managed to tear my eyes from their bodies, and went back to their faces. I was down to three, trying to figure out which one was Sam so I could slip him my note when the opportunity presented itself. It would help my case if I could pick him right out of the crowd. I checked the one off the list, his face looked to soft for leadership. Jared, maybe, or Embry? I turned my attention to the last two as Bella opened the truck door to get out.

And then the one lifted a mocking eyebrow at me, catching my attentive gaze, and winked.

My cheeks felt as though they had caught on fire as I realized he was fully aware that I had just checked the whole lot of them out like studs at market. _And liked what I saw_. I looked away from his all knowing gaze, unbelievably embarrassed at having been caught. _He must think I'm a dirty old pedophile,_ I thought, _because I certainly felt like it now_. These boys, however magnificent looking, were definitely under the age of consent. They had probably been born while I was in middle school, singing along to "hanging tough" and swooning over Joey McIntyre's baby blue eyes.

I quickly glanced back at him, only to note his full lips were twitched up into a half smile… as if he were trying to hold back laughter. _Oh, karma was a bitch,_ I thought, as I cracked a smile of my own over the irony of the situation.

Then it dawned on me: he was kind of flirting with me.

_Definitely not Sam._

I scooted across the bench seat as Bella and Jacob walked around the nose of the truck and down the road to have their conversation. The rest of the pack, minus the flirty one, Embry? Jared?, watched as the space between the two groups widened. The one with the pretty boy face asked if this was a good idea. Paul snorted and turned away to walk back into the house.

I reached into my pocket for the note. _It was now or never_, I thought to myself, and the idea of simply doing nothing once again crossed my mind. This was, after all, simply a figment of my imagination.

_Why not?_ I thought, as I leaned out the opened window.

"Sam." I called out in my most authorative adult voice. It was steady, and confident, two things I did not feel after having been caught openly ogling half naked boys.

The one I had guessed to be Sam turned to me questioningly, and I held the crumpled note out to him. He looked down at my outstretched hand and then back up to meet my gaze without any gesture of taking what I was offering.

"Take it." I told him, and he grudgingly reached out to grab it. I could feel the heat coming off him in waves. Part of me half expected to see it, like when the summer sun beat down on pavement, and was disappointed when I did not.

"It won't make sense today, but it will tomorrow."

He gave me an odd look, and then nodded, turning as he did and walking confidently back to Jacob's house. Pretty Boy followed immediately after giving me an appraising sort of look. I turned my gaze back to the flirty one.

He gave me a mocking little salute, a grin openly on his face now, and followed his pack brothers , looking back over his shoulder at me once. I watched like a moonstruck idiot as their well cut bodies disappeared into the house, looking over the play of their muscles moving beneath their skin. What was wrong with me? I have seen shirtless guys before…

"Are- are you breaking up with me?" I heard Bella's shrill, tear laden voice slice through the air as the sky opened up, sending fat droplets in waves down onto us. The rest of the conversation was lost to me as the rain beat mercilessly down.

I watched the two of them struggling with their mutual heartbreak, already drenched from the rain, and wanted nothing more than to jump out of the truck and run over there to straighten it all out. It was all so unnecessary, especially considering how temporary this misunderstanding was. They were just kids, both of them, and struggling with so much already. It just felt so cruel to be sitting back and letting them muddle through this on their own.

Jacob turned from Bella as she clutched herself in her trademark move, and quickly and determinedly walked away, pain clearly marked across his face. Bella leaned forward, wobbling in place as she openly sobbed in rejection.

Without thinking, I jumped from the truck and out into the cold downpour, nearly sprinting to where Bella stood. I wrapped my arms around her gaunt frame and held her close as she leaned into my embrace. Gently, I smoothed the wet strands of her dark hair back from where it stuck to her face, and squeezed her once fiercely before I led her back to the passenger side of the truck. After stowing her safely inside, I skipped around the large puddle behind the truck to reach the other side. With my hand on the driver's side door, I glanced over to the Black residence and saw Billy sitting in his wheel chair in the open doorway. His face was set in cold firmness, without the slightest hint of guilt or sympathy for what had just happened.

I flipped the heartless bastard off before getting behind the wheel of the ancient truck and squealing tire as I peeled away.


	5. Family Bonding

I somehow managed to maneuver Bella's truck through the maze of streets we had traversed earlier that morning one handed, as she had buried her face into my shoulder and began sobbing uncontrollably. It had become achingly obvious that I had been charged with 'putting Bella back together' duty for the day, and I was not really looking forward to it. If memory served me correctly, Jacob wouldn't be showing up to attempt to save face until late tonight, and I still had to figure out how to keep a handle on the situation until then.

Pulling up to the small white house I was now supposed to call home, I noticed the police cruiser parked in the driveway and groaned. Of course Charlie would be home. Anything to make this just a little bit harder for me.

"Bella," I crooned as I began to rub her back. "Bella, sweetie, you need to pull it together before we go inside. Charlie's home. We don't want to worry him, do we?"

She pulled away from me, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands and sniffling.

"He- he can help us. We n-need to tell him what's going on," she stuttered as she reached for the handle on the truck door.

"Whoa there, Sparky. I think we need to think about this before we go dragging the law into it. Cause you know that's what will happen if you tell Charlie. You don't even know what's going on down there on the reservation. And before you get Charlie involved, you need to figure out the facts."

She jerked away from me, her brown eyes flashing with betrayal.

"But Jake wouldn't tell me! He just kept blaming the- the Cullens," she bit the name out as if it were a curse word, and she cringed as it crossed her lips.

"So you're just going to give up on your best friend and hand the responsibility over to Charlie? What if the truth is that it really does have something to do with the Cullens? You need to think this through before telling him anything unless you're prepared to tell Charlie everything."

Her face fell as my words washed over her.

"They're gone. The Cullens are gone. What could this possibly have to do with them?" It came out in a bare whisper, and I had to strain to hear her words.

I pushed a strand of her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Just don't jump to conclusions yet. We'll get to the bottom of things tomorrow, ok? Let's just go inside, and you can go upstairs and take a nice hot shower, then try to get some sleep. I'll take care of Charlie, ok? Just pull yourself together."

"But we have to tell Charlie about Sam…"

I cut her off before she could finish.

"Ok, let's say we tell Charlie that Sam's running some sort of satanic brainwashing cult down on the reservation, and some how he's managed to get his creepy hands on Jacob, and we need his help saving him. What's Charlie going to do?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"He's going to call over to the Black's to talk to Billy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Billy a card carrying member of Sam's biggest fan club?"

Understanding began to dawn on Bella, but I forged on, needing her to understand how bad this could be.

"So he talks to Billy, and asks him what's going on. Do you know what Billy's going to say? He's going to tell Charlie that you've been leading Jake on, and that he got into a fight with you about it and that now you're mad because he doesn't want to let you lead him around anymore. And furthermore, Billy's going to tell Charlie that you're just jealous that he's hanging out with his old friends again, that you're stalking him, calling Jake all hours of the day and night, parking outside the house and waiting for him until he comes home."

Her face was a mask of horror and outrage.

"But that's not true! Charlie won't believe that!"

I shook my head.

"He won't _want_ to believe it, but part of him will. Why? Because it makes more sense than Sam's got some sort of cult going on, and Jacob's own father is letting him brainwash him into staying away from his best friend. And let's face it Bella, your behavior over the last six months or so hasn't exactly been an ideal picture of mental health."

She squeezed her eyes tightly, as if by doing so it could make the things that I had said any less truthful. I allowed her to sift through the thoughts I had provoked with out pushing any further.

"So what do we do?" She asked roughly.

"I think we should just wait. 'Tomorrow is another day'."

I used the hem of my wet tee shirt to try and clean her face up, and it worked as well as any washcloth, but even with my best efforts Bella still looked a mess. One look at her shiny eyes and red blotchy cheeks and any father would be up in arms, demanding an explanation. Our best bet would be to try and sneak her past the parental radar.

As much as I liked the body that came with it, I was really beginning to despise the setbacks of being a teenager.

"All right, here's the game plan: you go straight upstairs. I'll do all the talking if Charlie decides to get all chatty. Straight upstairs, got it?"

She looked over at me with bloodshot eyes and nodded, hiccupping between small, involuntary sobs.

"And don't look him in the eye if you can help it, you look like shit."

She nodded again wearily, and let herself out of the truck. I followed her onto the porch quickly through the pouring rain. I tried to open the front door, but the knob wouldn't move in my hand.

"What the-?" I mumbled as I looked over the door confused.

Bella reached up over the door frame, procuring a key, unlocked the door and stashed it back in it's hiding place. She opened the door and stepped inside, completely unperturbed by what just happened. I was floored. Charlie was home: why the hell would someone keep their front door locked during the day while they're home? Where the hell did he think he lived? Compton?

Bella tripped over the door frame and I grabbed her arm, keeping her from falling over as part of me wondered if Charlie was aware that he had gained another teenage daughter in the last six hours or so.

I looked around and pretty much pushed Bella towards the stairs as I saw Charlie enter the hallway. My first impression of Chief Swan was whoever cast Billy Burke to play the character for the movie was dead on. Only Charlie was a little bit heavier, his hair a lighter shade of brown.

"Bella, Billy just called-"

"Upstairs!" I whispered quickly and Bella looked at me with a 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. I shooed her up the stairs with a wave of my hand.

"Bella!" He yelled as he picked up his pace, and she stumbled at the sound of his voice before disappearing around the corner.

I moved to block the stairs.

"What's going on? Billy calls and says that Bells is harassing Jacob, starting fights. I want some answers!"

Having her run up the stairs was clearly not my best idea of the day as it had only turned Charlie from curious to angry, but I stood my ground as he tried to push past me and follow her.

"Look, Char-…DAD," I caught myself at the last second, remembering I'm supposed to be his teenage daughter. "Bella's having a bad day. Chasing her down and interrogating her like a criminal is not going to help. Besides, she's soaked. Give her a chance to clean up and calm down."

He looked me over, a little stunned at my attitude.

"Then maybe you can tell me what's going?" He crossed his arms over his chest and assumed his best disapproving dad stance.

"I'm sure it's all just a big misunderstanding blown way out of proportion. I bet tomorrow, after everyone calms down, everything will go back to normal."

His brown eyes, so much like Bella's, squinted and a furrow appeared over his brow.

"Calms down? So they did get in a fight. What was it about?"

Jeez, this guy didn't chatter nearly so much in the book. He usually just left well enough alone.

"I didn't hear the whole conversation," I hedged. "But I did hear Bella ask Jacob why he's been avoiding her. He was really angry, and he mentioned…" I stopped for dramatic pause and gave Charlie a pointed look. A few seconds passed before he realized what, or rather who, I meant and the color drain from his face momentarily before turning beet red. His eyes enlarged to the size of saucers.

He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down the hall and into the kitchen. _Yeah, like Bella couldn't hear anything from there._

"Talk." Charlie demanded as he began pacing the floor.

"Well, she began to cry, which seemed to make him feel bad for a second, but then she said something and he got mad again…"

These were typical teenage type details, right? I didn't want to tell him too much and have him feel like he needed to interfere, but I didn't want to tell him too little and have him upstairs questioning Bella either. My superior instincts told me it wouldn't take much to get her to start spilling about cults and brainwashing.

"What were they fighting about?" He interjected gruffly.

_Errrr,_ I growled in my head. What kind of story could I tell him that would make him uncomfortable enough to drop the subject?

Dating. Talking about his daughter and her dating should make him back down. That was my best idea next to periods, and I wasn't sure how I could get a feasible story out of a menstrual cycle.

"I think Jake's friends got it into his head to give her an ultimatum of sorts, so he's kind of pressuring her, and she's just not ready for that next step."

The vein in his forehead began to throb and for a split second I thought it was in danger of exploding. Obviously, I'd worded that wrong, as Charlie looked as though he were ready to grab his gun, and I mentally scrambled to find a way to fix it.

"Not sex or anything!" I almost shouted, and he visibly relaxed. "Just dating and maybe some kissing or something," I amended.

I don't know, did that sound innocent enough?

"But Bella keeps telling him that she's not ready for that, and she just wants to be friends. And he used to be ok with that. Anyway, I think if they just calm down and talk it over, they'll figure it out. I don't think it helps that Sam Uley and his friends are filling Jake's head full of crap about what he should do. Or that Billy's not too thrilled with the situation."

Charlie stopped pacing and turned to look at me thoughtfully.

"What do you mean by that?"

"By what? Billy? Nothing really, I guess, it's not like I've actually _heard_ him say anything. It's just he was never too thrilled about Bella having dated _Edward_, you know how they feel about that family on the reservation. And now Jacob's suddenly throwing _that _up in her face."

Charlie nodded, and I could see the gears moving in his head. Take that, Billy Black, I thought, remembering his stone face as he watched me help Bella into the truck.

"I'm gonna go check on Bella," I said hesitantly, and he waved me along.

I found Bella fresh from the shower and sitting on the edge of her bed, her lower lip quivering as she tried to hold back more tears. She didn't even look up as I walked in.

"Bella?" I murmured as I sat next to her. "You need to stop this. You know that, right?"

She nodded, but refrained from looking at me.

"It's just…there's this hole, and without Jacob…" Her arms crossed around her middle tightly as she spoke, and she hung her head down, allowing her hair to effectively screen her off from the world.

_That was about all I could take of this_. It was one thing to read about it in the book and feel as though it were my heart breaking, but quite another to stand here and watch it.

I knelt down onto the floor in front of her and took her chin in my hand and forced her to look at me.

"Bella, he's just a boy. Maybe a very wonderful boy, maybe one of the best boy type friends you've ever had, but still **just a boy**. Your life will not end if you do not have a boy in your life. Do you understand?"

Her face began to crumple under another barrage of tears, and I shook my head no, keeping my eyes fixed to hers.

"It's ok to miss your friends when they're not around, but it's not ok to completely fall apart when they're elsewhere. You need to find yourself a middle ground here. You can't keep staking all of your happiness into the hands of one person alone. Learn to make your own happiness."

She nodded her head solemnly, and swiped away a tear with the back of her hand.

"Now stop putting me in the middle of these hallmark moments, I think I'm getting nauseous."

She cracked a weak smile, and giggled.

"Why did I ever stop hanging out with you, Caro? You're the best friend I've ever had."

I shrugged my shoulders, somewhat surprised by her admission. I guess there would have to be some sort of background story to cover my supposed past, but having not actually been written into the book, I had no idea what it could be.

"I guess it just seemed like we just weren't on the same page anymore." I threw out.

She shook her head.

"Same page? We weren't even in the same book there for awhile. Since we came to Forks, I guess."

I had to look away and hold my breath while squeezing my eyes shut to hold back the laughter that threatened to erupt.

"Hit the nail on the head, right there," I squeaked.

"I guess you were just so mad at Renee for marrying Phil and wanting to travel with him… I may not have wanted to move to Forks, but you absolutely detested the idea."

I looked at her wan little face carefully, wondering if I dared push her to talk.

"No, actually I think it was Edward."

She cringed into herself, and quickly glanced away.

"I know you don't want to talk about him right now, but at some point you're going to need someone to listen. You think you have all these dark secrets nobody knows about, and you're wrong."

I could tell she was watching me from the corner of her eye, and I waited for her to say…well, anything.

Silence fell around us like a blanket, and we could hear ESPN from the living room clearly through the grated vent in the hall. Charlie began to yell at the tv (What the hell did you do that for?! You **had** the freakin ball!), and I got up from the floor.

"I'm gonna go get changed, and then run over to the grocery store. Wanna come with?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't feel like changing out of my pajamas."

"Are you trying to pick up a man?"

That caught her attention, and she gave me a surprised glare with a mild touch of outrage.

"No!"

"Then who cares what you're wearing. Come on, let's go."

Her expression slowly melted, until she finally shrugged it off and got up. I quickly changed into a fuzzy pair of purple pants plagued with images of frogs and threw on a dry black hoody with the Spartan logo on it. _America's Top Model, here I come_. Well, at least I would be warm.

We came downstairs to raid Charlie's grocery money stash and ask him if he needed anything while we were out. He didn't even pry his eyes from the big screen tv while he said no, and I was struck by how bulky the 52" monstrosity was. I shook my head as we walked from the room, and Bella nudged me.

"It's just too much, isn't it? The tv? It just makes that whole living room look wrong."

I shrugged my shoulders as we passed through the front door, and stopped so she could lock it.

"Wait till flat screens come out, then it'll look ok. He can hang it on the wall between those two windows, maybe run some surround sound through the walls. The living room won't look quite so crowded then. I'm sure some new furniture would help."

She just looked at me funny as we got into her truck and left.

* * *

Ahhh, the Thriftway. Grocery store of grocery stores. Bella quickly grabbed a cart and we wound our way down the isles amongst the quiet sounds of the overhead elevator music and the crying child in the cereal lane. At least this felt normal.

We got to the health and beauty isle, and I loaded the cart with Pantene shampoo and conditioner, a loufa, then proceeded to become increasing irritated at the limited options in body wash. Apparently, nothing I was used to buying had been invented yet, which left me guessing at which one of my three remaining options would leave me clean but not greasy feeling. _Definitely not Bath and Body Works_, I sighed, but I would have to make do. Bella just stood at the cart, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, looking incredibly uncomfortable as I mumbled to myself. I finally decided on one, and moved down the isle to look at face washes and lotions.

"Caro? Why are you buying all this junk?" She finally asked nervously as I deposited two more finds into the cart.

"Huh? Well, mostly because I know that even though I probably don't need it now, when I'm thirty I'll be thankful I took care of my skin."

She raised a single eyebrow, but refrained from commenting. I grabbed a new brush, some hair accessories, and an ancient looking hair straightener. For good measure, I tossed in a blow dryer too, doubting Bella even knew what to do with one. Passing through the make up isle, I grabbed some mascara and lip gloss. At eighteen, I really didn't need much more. Bella continued to look at me like I'd lost my mind.

We went through the check out, and walked to her truck to load up the groceries in silence. Bella kept looking at me funny, but I refused to say anything about it. When she was ready, she'd talk.

I helped her bring in the bags and put everything away when we reached the house, then more or less skipped up the stairs to the bathroom to put away my goodies. I had way too much energy to simply walk like a normal person for some reason.

I was peeling everything out of the packages and finding new places to store them in when Bella came to lurk in the doorway.

"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind, or are you going to continue to walk around behind me, watching my every move?"

She gave a little jump at the unexpected sound of my voice.

"I'm just…curious, I guess. You were never so _girly_ before. What gives?"

I snickered at the bewildered expression on her face.

"You do realize that we both are infact girls, right?"

"I know that!" Her voice raised an octave or two at my accusation.

"I suppose I just want to enjoy being a girl."

She quirked an eyebrow, and continued to watch me for several more minutes.

"Do you even know what to do with that thingy?" She asked as I uncovered the hair straightener.

"I do. If your interested sometime, maybe I'll show you."

She rolled her eyes and mumbled something before turning back towards her room. I looked up at the small round clock over the mirror. 8:30pm. There was probably still a good four hours or so until Jacob showed up. At least Bella was calm now. Maybe she would catch on to his hints while he's here.

I was torn between wanting to be there when he showed up, and wanting to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a very long day if I decided to tag along to La Push. Wait, would Bella even wake me up before she headed off to the Black's tomorrow, or would she be too concerned about people with guns running around the woods hunting the wolves?

I popped my head into Bella's room without knocking. She looked up from the hard back book she was reading in bed.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Where are the keys to your truck?" I asked. She gave me a quizzical glance before leaning over to grab them off the bedside table and tossing them in my direction. They fell about two feet short, and I walked over and picked them up.

"What do you need with the truck?"

"Nothing. I just want to make sure you wake me up before you go anywhere tomorrow. Night, Bella. Maybe you aught to sleep with the window open tonight."

A look that was suspiciously like fear flashed over her face as she shook her head no, and she got up to turn the lock on her window.

Well, so much for trying to make things easier for Jake. I closed her door behind me and walked up the stairs to the attic room that had been designated as my own.


	6. In a Moment

I was awake. It took me several seconds to realize this as it was just as dark with my eyes opened as closed. New scents assaulted my senses, not necessarily bad ones, but unfamiliar just the same. A hint of dust, and old wood swirled around with a twang of fresh coffee.

Inhaling deeply as I rolled onto my side and burrowed into my covers, I came up with the scents of Era, downy, and newly fallen rain.

Rain had always been a comforting smell to me, reminiscent of summers spent with my grandfather as a child where a night fall of rain had us outside in the grass with flashlights and buckets on the great hunt for night crawlers. Drowsily, I smiled as I thought of Poppy, the two of us covered in mud and soaked through as we displayed the night's catch to my grandmother with pride. It was an activity that my parents would have expressly forbidden, had they been aware of it, and I loved it because of that.

Something was off, I thought vaguely as I slid my legs between the slightly scratchy sheets, but I was unable to pinpoint what exactly it was. The house around me felt calm, undisturbed in the silence. Wait… silence? Why can't I hear the waves?

I opened my eyes again in the blackness and took another deep breath. I couldn't smell the ocean either, for that matter, and a sense of alarm trilled through my system. I was now fully awake, and reaching for the bedside table and the lamp that sat upon it.

My hand only came up with empty space, so I gingerly slipped off the bed, reaching in the same general direction and noticing the distinct feel of bare, uneven floor boards beneath my feet. _What was going on? _I thought frantically as my hand finally found something solid in the gloom. _Was that a cardboard box? _I wondered as I felt the dimensions, and came to the realization that I was not safe and sound in my condo in Cancun. I wasn't at home or Sarah's house either.

_Where the hell was I?_

A little voice in the back of my mind whispered _'Forks'_, and the memory of my day yesterday flooded into my mind.

Blindly stumbling through the darkness, I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands. Well, I could check off this being a dream. People don't normally dream of going to sleep and then waking up the next day. Or dream of dreaming, for that matter. A flash of cinnamon colored flesh topped with short inky black hair filtered through my mind, and I quickly pushed it away. I wasn't even going to acknowledge that one to myself.

I was wide awake now, so there was no sense trying to go back to sleep. That coffee I'd been smelling was seeming like a pretty good idea right about now.

Remembering that the string that connected to the overhead switch was my only hope of light, I stood up and waved my hand around in the air until I felt it, then tugged on it gently. No sense snapping the thin piece of yarn, as I'd almost done last night. I would have certainly been screwed then, because there was no way I was going to attempt to find these stairs in the dark. There was no banister protecting the gaping hole in the floor, and I'd probably fall down it and break both my legs if I tried.

With the light casting a dingy yellow glow over my new attic bedroom, I quickly located the fuzzy pajama pants I'd worn before bed and slipped them on. Rifling through the worn dresser drawers, I found another pair of mom jeans, a plain plum colored long sleeved tee, white socks, and the cutest matching set of white cotton panties and bra I'd ever seen with a pink ribbon threaded in the seams and topped with a teeny little bow. Absolutely adorable. But if I was going to spend any more time in Forks, I was going to need a slightly more _me_ kind of wardrobe. And that would have to start with some less than pristinely innocent lingerie.

I placed the pile of clothes on my bed, intending to get some coffee before I showered, and decided to make the bed as an afterthought. I doubted Lucita would be here later to do it for me, as I had left out the instructions on cleaning imaginary bedrooms when I'd gone over what I'd expected her duties to be.

Traipsing down to the second floor, I peaked in on Bella, but she was already gone. _Dammit! _She must of snuck up into my room and stole her keys back. I glanced towards the window at the slowly graying light and guessed she was probably on the beach with Jacob right now. I wasn't even sure where First Beach was to try and catch up with them, and I sure as hell wasn't leaving without a shower first, barring an emergency.

_Coffee it is_, I thought as I headed to the kitchen and grabbed a mug with the wonderful logo of "Dewey Scruem and Howe, attorneys at law, specializing in criminal law since 1908'. The brand name 'Columbian Delight' wouldn't have been my first choice in coffees, but I supposed it was better than a swift kick to the head, and helped myself to the rest of the pot. Idly, I wondered if Charlie actually preferred this brand or if Bella just bought it because it was thirty five cents cheaper than Folgers.

I supposed the world may never know.

* * *

So far, this has been the most boring day of my life… but I guess that just goes to show you life isn't necessarily better even in a fantasy reality.

I'd taken a long, hot shower, lingering until I'd run the hot water tank dry, then spent nearly an hour and a half with my lotions and tweezers, plucking and pruning the caterpillars above my eyes back into submission. After I'd run out of things to do in the bathroom, I turned to my bedroom for some snooping into my pretend past. Did I have a boyfriend, a favorite sport, a hobby? Apparently not. The only personal effects I found hidden in my room was a checkbook ledger and a work schedule for Tina Marie's Bar and Grill. My keen sense of the obvious told me I was a waitress. _Be still my beating heart!_

Maybe the tips were good.

The schedule indicated I wasn't due for a shift until Friday evening, which was all well and fine, except I had no idea what today was. Hopefully, not Friday.

I sifted through the boxes that lined the one wall of my bedroom. Just junk mostly, mixed in with some of Charlie's high school momentos, and a fake Christmas tree with some decorations. There was a single box filled with old loose photos, but after glancing in it briefly I lost interest. I placed the boxes strategically around the hole so I couldn't unwittingly fall to my death. Then I braided some of Charlie's fishing line and replaced the string to the light, hanging a bright red ornament to the end so it would be easier to find.

I went through my wardrobe again, and found much to be desired, making a list of things I'd want to pick up should the situation arrive. I had previously decided it couldn't be completely morally reprehensible if I spent my imaginary college fund. After all, I theoretically earned it myself and had no intentions of sticking around long enough to use it for it's intended purposes.

A quick glance at the old alarm clock I'd plugged in on my makeshift nightstand of boxes showed it was barely noon. I was running out of things to do. Short of nosing through Bella's room in the hopes of an unmentioned diary hidden away among her things, I couldn't think of anything left to fill my time.

_Hidden in her room?_ The thought gave me an idea, and I bounded down the attic stairs with a newfound excitement. Somewhere in Bella's room was a loose floor board, one that hid treasures I was desperate to discover.

I paced her bedroom floor slowly, methodically testing the boards with my weight, sliding my foot along the joints in the hopes of the right one just popping out to shout _'in here! In here!'_ I made three complete rounds of the small room, no closer to claiming the momentos of Edward than when I'd began.

With a sigh, I sank down on her bed and glanced around. Bella's bedroom was slightly more personable than my own. A few random photos of people I had yet to meet were thumb tacked to a cork board on the wall near her bed, along with some movie ticket stubs and a Christmas card from Renee. A gigantic old-school computer dominated the desk near the door, with a stack of books on the corner. Her closet lay just to the left of her bed, and poking through the open door was a bundle of electrical wires and mangled metal pieces. Emmett's radio!!

I fell to my knees before the closet, nudging the door open further to get a better glance. And there, beneath the corpse of the cd player, was a board that just didn't fit. I felt like I'd just won the lottery!

I slid the forgotten contraption aside, and pushed on the wood, delighted when it moved slightly to the pressure I applied to it. I tried to pry it up with my fingers, succeeding in only breaking a nail.

_Son of a-! MMMMPH!!_

Holding the injured finger up in the light, I tried to fix the damage without making it worse. The nail was torn down to the quick, with a thin ribbon of blood snaking it's way around the cuticle. Dammit, this hurt, and I popped the finger in my mouth as i went into the bathroom in search of the pair of clippers I'd spotted earlier.

I did the best I could with the nail, and wrapped a plain band-aid around my finger in the hopes of not catching the jagged end on anything and making it worse. With that taken care of, I was now on a mission. _If I were a flat head screwdriver, where would I hide?_ I thought to myself as I walked downstairs. There had to be a place Charlie hid tools in the house. Maybe a junk drawer, or a closet?

I was rifling through the kitchen cabinets when my search was abruptly interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. Guilt flooded my system, and I felt as though I had been caught red handed in the midst of several unspeakable acts. I hadn't even done anything wrong... yet.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened up from where I was crouched on the floor and answered the phone.

"Hello? Swan residence?" I said hesitantly, and it came out sounding more like a question than a statement. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note to add 'cordless phone' to my list of things to buy.

"Is this Caroline Swan?" A deep male voice asked coolly, and I felt a shiver skid down my spine.

"That's what they tell me," I answered honestly.

"I've read your message. I'm sure you understand how shocked I was at the things it implied. I'd like to meet with you and ask you some questions."

I felt a smile spread across my lips.

"Of course. As long as you understand that there are some answers I can't give you."

Silence stretched along for several seconds, and I began to wonder if Sam had hung up.

"I assume you know of Emily? Can you be here in twenty minutes?"

My face contorted in frustration. _I'd love to come to Emily's house, IF I knew how to get there,_ I thought. Mentally, I tried to retrace the route to La Push. My confidence wavered as I drew a blank after the first two intersections.

"If you'd prefer, I could send someone to show you the way."

Sam just went up a notch on my list of favorite Twilight characters.

"That would be great, thanks!"

Maybe there was too much enthusiasm in my response as it sounded like he snorted on the other end.

"You're not sending Jacob over, are you?" I asked as an afterthought.

Again with the silence. That hadn't been intended as a difficult question.

"No. I believe Jake took your sister back to his house. Would you prefer I did?"

"No! No, it's probably better they're hanging out together. I was just in the middle of checking on something," I replied as I gave my wounded finger a baleful glance. "You wouldn't happen to have a Flathead screwdriver that I could borrow real quick, would you?"

"You are an enigma, Miss Swan," Sam replied with an ironic twist in his voice, followed by a soft chuckle. "I look forward to meeting with you."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Mr Uley," I answered in a sarcastically respectful tone. Maybe he wasn't that big of an ass, I thought as we said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Barely enough time passed to grab a glass of water and put on my shoes before there was a knock on the front door. That really was quick, I thought as I silently hoped I wouldn't open the door to find a pissy Paul on the other side. _Please don't be Paul, Please don't be Paul,_ I chanted beneath my breath as I swung open the door.

And there stood Mr Flirty Wolf, all six foot whatever of him, dressed in nothing but a pair of faded green gym shorts. My gaze traveled over the wide expanse of finely chiseled muscle (would I ever tire of seeing that?) for a brief second before lifting up in the direction of his face. Deep brown eyes, the color of dark chocolate, met mine and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked of his speculative look.

A warm grin spread across his features as he handed me a long handled screw driver.

"You're good for the ego, " he responded with a shake of his head. "Do you even know what to do with that thing?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes at him as I moved to the side, indicating that he should come in. When the door closed behind him, I turned to the stairs.

"This should only take a few minutes," I called over my shoulder as I took the steps two at a time. My intention was to loosen the floor board for now, and snoop later when I had a chance.

It wasn't until I'd reached Bella's room and crouched down on my knees next to the bed, leaning over into the closet that I'd realized he followed me.

"A few minutes? You seriously have no faith in my skills, do you?" The husky lilt of his voice washed over me, and I felt goosebumps raise on my skin as a warm flush infused my cheeks. One quick glance showed he had crouched next to me and was presently engaged in an appreciative appraisal of my rear. The mischievous twinkle in his eye brought an answering smile to my lips.

"Please! Boy, I would break you," I taunted back, simultaneously positioning the screw driver beneath the crack of the floor board and trying really hard to act nonchallant about the sudden sexually charged atmosphere. _Only a boy, only a boy!_

I focused on the task at hand. The floor board was definitely loose, but I lacked both the necessary leverage and the force to dislodge it. Stubbornly, I refused to give up, and tried a different angle, only to have the screw driver flip out of my grasp. I let out an aggravated sigh, and leaned back to reassess the situation. _What the HELL had Edward been thinking, making this so damn hard?_

"What are you doing?" He asked, clearly amused. I found it irritating. Irritating was much better.

"What does it look like, genius?"

He snickered as i threw the newly retrieved screw driver back on the floor in frustration. My injured finger began to throb. _Absolutely wonderful._

"Wrong question, I guess. Should have asked 'Why?'" Deftly, he moved his huge hand over the board and pulled it back easily, revealing the dusty treasures beneath. I couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at just how simple he had made that look.

"What have we here?" He asked with a conspiratoral grin.

I leaned back over for a peak. The envelope with the airline tickets lay on top, and the corner of a cd case stuck out underneath. After a quick check for spiders and other creepy crawlies, I reached aa hand in to push the envelope aside, overwhelmed with the urge to see the pictures i knew were hiding underneath. My fingers barely brushed the paper before my arm was unceremoniously yanked back out of the hole.

"WHAT THE HELL-" I began as i turned back to glare at the behemoth beside me. The place on my arm where he held me was beginning to pinch horribly, and as my eyes met his I felt the angry words I intended to unleash on him dry up on my lips.

The warm, friendly expression he had worn had now morphed into something more cold, calculating. He sat perfectly still, his full lips pressed together in a thin line. As if in slow motion, I watched as he reached into the hole and retrieved the complete stack at once, lifting it up to his face. His nose wrinkled in distaste, and he turned his fierce expression on me.

My original thought of _'how weird' _quickly changed to _'oh, shit'_. In that moment of clarity as I stared into his eyes watching as they changed from brown to a chilling luminescent yellow-green, I saw him not as an over muscled boy worthy of eye candy status but as a man capable of disturbing violence. Pinned beneath his intense gaze I felt very small, and oh so very fragile. I was afraid of his potential, more afraid than I had ever been in all my twenty nine years on this earth, but as that moment progressed I watched as concern -and something else, something undefinable- filtered through his expression. As his eyes returned to normal, my frozen state of fear melted away. Trapped in those dark eyes,I began to feel safer, protected somehow as a full sense of something I can only describe as homecoming washed over me, stronger than any comparable memory from childhood could ever convey.

His presence became compelling, mesmerizing, both hauntingly familiar and comforting. As the moment progressed, a new fear snaked into my core, one that had nothing to do with my physical safety. It was small, petty and childish...and with it came the need to shatter the growing sense of intimacy between us.

I pulled my arm from his grasp and backed away, my eyes skittering around the room needing something, anything, to look at but him. It had happened so fast, so unexpectedly, that without my racing heartbeat to testify to the reality of the myraid of emotions I had just experienced I could have passed it off as a figment of my imagination.

Unsure of his reaction, and worried that this had been some grossly inappropriate gesture on my part, I stood up and turned away. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I took a deep steadying breath and replayed the moment in my head. Running a hand through my long hair, I desperately sought something else to focus on, something real.

_What the hell just happened here?_

My spine stiffened and I automatically began to pull away as I felt his large, warm palm press against the small of my back. Opening my eyes, I saw he was holding the hand full of Bella's hidden treasure out to me. It took both of my hands, but I awkwardly accepted it, no longer the slightest bit interested. A corner of a picture peeked out, and I saw Bella's face. The expression clearly stated how uncomfortable she was having her picture taken, but beneath it was an underlying sense of basic happiness that simply glowed in her face. She was otherwise blissfully content in the picture, no black rims beneath her eyes, not gauntness in her cheeks. This picture told the tale of a different Bella, one who didn't frighten at the sight of her own shadow, and I felt the burn of deep seated guilt at having wanted to invade that, as if I had desecrated a loved one's grave.

My perspective on this new 'reality' had begun to quickly take a drastic change, and this is what had truly frightened me. _What did this all mean?_

"I just wanted to look at it," I whispered softly. "She doesn't even know he put them there."

He didn't question me as he helped me to secure them back in their hiding place. I had only met Bella a little under twenty four hours ago, and up until five minutes ago, I hadn't thought of her as a real person. That picture and the act of unearthing it, brought home a new, simple truth:

_'We're not in Kansas anymore'_

And right now, this wasn't just some book that I'd read on vacation. Whether this was a dream, or a breakdown, or some freaky twist in reality, there were still people here that were torn up inside. There was still a very vivid sense of danger lurking around the corner, and there were possible allies to be made.

As I watched him replace the board over the forgotten momentos, I resolved to make the most of this situation. Here, in this place, I was Bella's sister, her twin. This may very well turn out to be some sort of weird Twilight themed mental vacation, but now, right now, she needed me. I would forget whatever it was that had just happened between that boy and I, and I would do my best to help her move past all this hurt. She was, after all, my sister. And right now, in this place, that was real.


	7. Powwow on the Rez

I spent the ride to La Push in quiet contemplation after having handed the keys to the escort over to my own personal navigational system. He glanced over at me often during the fifteen minute ride, but said nothing. I was beginning to feel awkward with him, only now realizing that we hadn't actually introduced ourselves and not knowing how to rectify the situation at this late date without sounding completely retarded. It hadn't escaped my notice that I only cared about what he thought because of what had happened in Bella's room.

I was uncomfortably aware of his every shift in movement. It was irritating how distracted I was with him. I didn't want to think about the way he completely dominated the space inside the small car, or notice the play of muscle beneath his smooth skin as he switched gears.

He pulled off the road in front of a small blue cottage that could have been a twin to the Black's. It was the same size, with the same barely peaked roof, all the windows and doors of the same size and in the right location. But that was where the similarities ended.

The yard was freshly mowed with a clothes line off to the side, freshly washed sheets flapping in the slight breeze. Various tended flower beds stood ready and waiting for the flowers that would soon be in bloom, accenting the homey yard decorations scattered about, most notably a faded white picket fence. Lacey curtains hung from the windows, one with a pie sitting quaintly on the sill, and even from the street I could smell the aroma of freshly baked bread. This was so obviously Emily's house that had I been able to make it to La Push on my own I would have instantly known it was hers.

My observation of this picturesque little cottage was interrupted when the car door I was leaning against opened suddenly. I hadn't even noticed him exit the car, and now here he was, playing the gentleman for me, a playful grin on his face as he held his hand out for me.

I ignored the gesture, pushing past him to stand on the well beaten path that led to the front door. It was time to put on my game face.

Up until about twenty minutes ago, I'd had no compunctions about strolling into the wolf's den, pun intended, and spinning whatever tale was needed to keep me in the loop for the duration of what I was now referring to as 'my visit.' But now I had to admit to a growing sense of unease and general nervousness. My situation was becoming more and more real by the second, and it was getting harder to view this as just a lark. The characters were becoming flesh and blood people with each detail I discovered that hadn't been mentioned in the books. It was growing harder to reconcile my conscience with any thoughts of deception.

I took a deep breath, and pulled down on the hem of my shirt,which I had felt riding up all day, then began the fifteen step journey to the door.

I heard him chuckle behind me, and I turned to shoot him a dirty look. With a raised eyebrow and two long strides, he passed me to reach the front door, and held it open for me.

"I promise not to let Sam bite you," he taunted.

I was nearly choking on the sudden flare of temper that seemed to come from nowhere, and it took all my effort to push it down. This boy really knew how to push my buttons.

A small, dark hand came into view to land a resounding smack on his bare shoulder.

"Quit harassing the poor girl, Embry."

Embry? I mused as I shot a contemplative glance in his direction. Something shifted inside of me at the sound of his name, and I began to feel a little more at ease.

A statuesque woman with long, silky black hair that fell nearly to her waist appeared in the doorway, and when she turned to flash me a warm, brilliant smile I realized it was Emily. The slight rounding of her stomach threw me off for a second, as it slowly dawned on me that she was expecting. I knew there had to be some sex going on somewhere in this story, I thought.

I made sure to keep my gaze aligned with her nearly black eyes, and returned the open expression she had given to me. I couldn't help but notice the red glazed welts trailing down the whole side of her face. And without the warmth in her eyes, and the confidence in her stance, they would have greatly marred her appearance. She was still an exceptionally beautiful woman, despite the livid marks on her skin.

She wiped her hands on the dish towel slung over her shoulder and extended one in my direction.

"You must be Caroline, Bella's sister, right? Why don't you come in and sit down. I just made some fresh apple butter bread, would you like a slice before these heathens devour it all?"

She sent a disapproving glance in Embry's direction, and he grinned back, almost sheepishly.

"Apple butter bread? I think I just fell in love," I muttered to myself, and Emily's smile became demure, taking my words as the compliment they were. She gestured for me to come inside, while elbowing Embry in the ribs.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he said to her before turning back to me. "Would you like some butter on it?"

"No, thanks. I'll take it plain."

I'd had a love affair with fresh baked bread, especially the moist cake types for the last fifteen years. Unfortunately, I lacked the skill to make it myself. Emily had just become my new best friend.

The front door opened in to a large rectangular space that was the living room and kitchen, the two separated by a worn brown couch with a long, Formica topped metal table directly behind it. A newer looking , beige micro fiber love seat was pushed against one wall and a matching plush chair sat directly across from it. A small, homemade wooden stand sat directly to the left of the front door with a modest sized 29" television on it.

The far back wall consisted of an L-shaped white countertop, with an old looking gas range stove and an even older looking Frigidaire with a latch handle. The woodwork on the cabinets, however, was spectacular. Painstakingly carved edges and swirls framed a large central diamond shape on each of the doors.

After noticing that, I took a closer look at the wooden shelves and molding around the room. All were artfully crafted and stained in matching fashion to the cupboards. Someone liked woodworking.

Sam sat in the chair, and as I walked further into the room to sit on the end of the couch closest to him, he lifted the remote and turned off the TV. With a nod of his head in the direction of the two guys that sat at the table, he turned his light brown gaze on me.

"Caroline," he said in way of a greeting with another slight nod of his head. Outstretching one thick brown arm, he handed me a much abused piece of paper.

"Just Caro," I replied as I took what he offered and looked down to see my own writing on it. It was the note I'd given him yesterday.

A dip in the couch caught my attention and I looked over to see that Embry had taken the seat next to me, and handed over a slice of bread on a paper towel. Paul sat next to him, and Emily sat on the loveseat next to who I now knew must be Jared.

"Thank you," I mumbled as I took the bread, breaking off a piece and popping it in my mouth as I turned back to Sam.

He just kind of stared at me, expressionless, for several minutes. Almost as if he expected me to say something. It was intimidating, to say the least. I did my best to hide my nervousness, and continued to munch on the bread.

"That was really good. Thank you, Emily," I told her politely after I'd finished the last bite. She just smiled sweetly and continued to look at me expectantly. I turned back to Sam, but he still had the same blank, almost serene expression.

Well, this was awkward.

The whole situation kind of reminded me of a shakedown, like on the crime shows where the cops stick a suspect in a room for hours and sit behind the two-way mirror waiting for him to lose his cool before they start questioning him.

In the back of my mind, I pictured Sam slamming a meaty fist on the arm of the chair and shouting 'where were you on the night of September 2nd?!'

I felt my lips twitch up before I caught the oncoming smile, and focused on my surroundings again.

"You have a beautiful home," I began, but was interrupted as Paul slapped a hand loudly against his thigh and leaned forward to glare at me.

"Cut the shit," he roared unexpectedly, and I jumped in my seat. "How the hell did you know those things?"

After my initial shock, I regained my composure and turned a steely glare on him. NO ONE spoke to me that way.

"So nice to meet you too, Paul," I replied coolly, and felt a small measure of triumph at his surprised expression.

"How did you-"

"-know your name?" I finished for him. "You'd be surprised at the things I know."

Paul glanced over my shoulder at Sam.

"Then I guess what we need to ask is just how much you know, and more importantly, how."

At the sound of his voice, I turned back to face Sam.

"The first is kind of a broad ranging question, don't you think? It'd be better to narrow it down to more specifics. I'll tell you what I can, with the understanding that it doesn't leave this room. And that includes your wolfy mind share thing, too. I don't want Bella to learn of this conversation. Since we all know how well Jake does with keeping secrets from her, so no telling Jacob either. If you don't think that's possible, let me know now."

Sam's face lost a little of its color, but otherwise gave no indication of being surprised.

"Is that how you know of the pack? Through Jacob?" he asked calmly.

I couldn't help but find humor in the situation.

"It took Jacob weeks to find the balls to get around your no telling edict so he could have Bella back in his life, and you think he would somehow tell me first?" I couldn't help but smirk.

There was a sharp gleam in his eyes as he continued to try and read my face.

"The how of it really isn't important, as I severely doubt anyone else will find out the same way I did. Is there anything else you'd like to know? Like who's going to phase next? I can tell you the next five names, but beyond that I can only give you a number as to how many members. How about imprinting? I know of two, possibly three more who will imprint."

Sam's composure broke, and he looked positively floored.

"But the imprinting thing is just a fluke. It's rare, right? That's what all the legends say." This came from Jared. His face betrayed the surprise and alarm that was lightly laced in his voice. Ahh, so he hadn't imprinted yet, I thought with a trace of irony. The whole Sam, Emily, and Leah episode must have been even 'prettier' than described in the book.

"Make that four," I said to no one in particular. "Would you like to know 100%, Jared?" I asked him with a slight smile on my face.

He paled, exchanging worried glances with the others, before sitting back.

"Do-do I imprint?" he asked nervously.

I nodded, and his jaw dropped.

This was fun. I felt my inner Miss Cleo coming out.

"Don't worry, it all works out fine. Perfect, in fact. You won't even have to try to convince her to give you a try."

Paul sat forward again, pinning me with a disbelieving look.

"You can't possibly know that." If I had been in any doubt of the scorn he felt for what I was saying, his voice had just confirmed it.

"I know everyone will be relieved when you finally imprint. She'll do wonders for your personality." Embry and Jared tried to hold back their laughter, and failed. "Her brother, however, will be less than enthused."

Sam cleared his throat loudly, and I turned my attention on him.

"What can you tell me about the red head? What kind of intelligence do you have on her?"

What exactly could I tell him? It wasn't exactly as if Stephenie Meyer actually devoted any time on the development of Victoria's character. The most I knew about her was how absolutely scared shitless Bella was of her.

"Well, I don't think I know anything about her that would help you out right now. Not for another few weeks, at least," I mused.

"But I will tell you this: she's smart, she's fast, and she's incredibly lucky. How she continues to escape you is almost mind boggling. Oh, and not to put on the pressure or anything, but if you don't get her in the next month, you're gonna have a whole other set of complications that will allow her to continue to escape. Right now she's working alone, but that will soon change."

I had the complete and utter attention of the room. Sam had sat forward in his seat as I spoke, positively drinking in my words.

"Why are you being so cryptic?" he asked as he carefully read my expression.

"If you know so damn much, why don't you tell us where to find her? Or do you enjoy the idea that she's out there snacking on the general population?" Paul interjected heatedly.

"Do you really have to be such an ass, Paul? Seriously. It's not like I'm charging you a dollar ninety nine a minute here. And if I had a copy of her daily agenda or her current mailing address I would definitely share it with the pack. But it just doesn't work like that, ok? So could you just shut the fuck up unless you have something reasonable to say?"

I tried to temper my words with a softer tone and a look that asked his understanding. The last thing I needed was for him to wolf out. It seemed to work, because instead of phasing he simply pressed his lips together tightly and gave me the look of death.

That I could live with.

"Could you please explain to us how 'it' does work?" Sam asked calmly when it became apparent that Paul had himself under control.

"I don't know..." I began as I searched my mind for a comparison. "Have you ever seen the Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher?"

They looked at each other skeptically, shaking their heads no in consensus.

"Who's Ashton Kutcher?" Emily asked.

"An actor. Started out on That 70's Show."

Her face registered confusion. "Which seventies show?"

I shook my head. "Never mind. Hmmm. New approach. Have you ever seen Back to the Future?"

That movie wouldn't work as well, but I could use it. As the words escaped my mouth, however, the pack began exchanging loaded looks. With the exception of Sam, they began laughing.

"This is just too much!" Paul commented between laughs.

"Are you supposed to be Marty McFly in this analogy, or the crazy doc?" Jared called out as he reached his fist over to Paul for a bump and erupted into a new fit of laughter.

I gave them all dirty looks, slightly insulted, and more than a little betrayed by the look of humor on Embry's face.

Sam waited patiently for the hilarity to die down before resuming his questioning.

"Are you saying you are a time traveler? And that's how you know these things? Because you're from the future?" I couldn't miss the underlying tone of disbelief in his voice.

"Good lord, no. But it would be a more believable explanation than the truth. What I meant was: I know a certain series of events that's 'supposed' to happen. If we change one event, I'm not sure how much it will affect the rest. Do you understand what I'm getting at here?" I gave him a quizzical look, unsure if I had made any sense with that ramble.

"Kinda like in the movie, Marty knows his parents kiss at the dance and fall in love, but because he saved his dad from being hit by the car, his mom gets a crush on Marty instead and doesn't want to go to the dance with his dad," Embry piped up.

I turned to stare at him in amazement. Whereas the rest of the group assembled in the room had displayed serious doubts regarding my sanity, he sat there calmly explaining to Sam the very idea I was attempting to convey. And he did it with a straight face, matter of factly.

Sam mulled this over for a few minutes, glancing around the room at each person present before answering.

"I see. What can you tell me about the growth of the pack? Do you know the order, the approximate dates of phasing? What will be our final number?"

There was a hard edge to what he said, and I got the distinct feeling that I was being tested. I searched his stoic demeanor for any signs that he was fishing for a code word or something, and found no indicators. Yet the feeling persisted.

"I don't know the exact dates, but I do have a general outline. You guys already know about Quil," I stopped to glance around the room. We were all in agreement.

"I'm relatively certain that he's next, but I'm not absolutely certain. I just know sometime in the next month, for sure, he'll be joining the pack. And he'll be the next to imprint, after Jared." I gave Emily a pointed look. "His imprint will be rather shocking. But I guess it works out in its own weird little way."

I waited for another nod from Sam before proceeding. That little speech apparently hadn't been what he was looking for.

"The next two will be back to back, or simultaneously, and I'm pretty sure they will either be triggered by some bad news or the cause of it. I really don't know how else to explain that one, but I can tell you it's too late to prevent it. Maybe-" my voice trailed off, as I realized what it was I was really hinting at.

In a softer voice, I began again. "I don't know. It's one of those 'circle of life' things," I took a deep breath and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.

Harry Clearwater's death would cut these guys deeply. He was Emily's uncle and a respected mentor to the pack. How was I supposed to tell them that he would be dead before the end of spring break? And I felt incredibly guilty for almost just spilling it out, like it meant nothing.

"Um, anyway, it'll be Seth and Leah Clearwater. They'll join the pack before the end of spring break," I finished lamely, hoping somehow that the mention of Leah joining the pack would overshadow the mention of 'bad news.'

It worked, and the room exploded as everyone joined in at once.

"Leah?"

"But she's a girl!"

"Holy shit!"

"That can't happen. Sam, tell her that just can't happen."

Sam put his hands up, effectively silencing the room.

"What will be the final number of the pack?" he asked with a serious expression, and I realized that THIS was what he was waiting for, and my answer would affect everything else.

"Thirteen. By this Christmas, if everything happens as I know it, there will be thirteen wolves."

A quick glance around the room confirmed the general opinion that I had shocked everyone. Several minutes passed as my words sank in.

Worry was plastered across Emily's face. "I think we need to leave Caro alone with Sam now," and she got up and began shooing the guys from the room. Jared and Paul got up immediately and walked out the front door. Embry stared at me long and hard, clearly reluctant, before following.

Sam simply continued to look at me with that same, intense expression.

"I find it incredibly hard to believe what you have told me so far. Thirteen? For something like that to happen by December..." he trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Yeah. Things will get incredibly tense. The order as I know it is Quil, Leah, Seth, Brady, and Collin. I don't know Brady or Collin's last names, or when they phase," I calmly replied.

"But they're barely teenagers, Seth just turned thirteen not that long ago. And if your speaking of the two I'm thinking of, they're only twelve..."

"From what I understand, after Seth they're all very young."

Sam steepled his fingers beneath his chin, staring blankly at the floor in contemplation.

"I don't know how you found out about us, and right now I'm not even sure it's relevant. But thirteen wolves? By December? What kind of asinine games are you playing? Do you even know what that would mean?"

All of his polite friendliness had instantly evaporated, leaving a steely, slightly hostile edge about him. To say I suddenly felt very frightened would be an understatement, but I met his hard gaze unflinchingly.

"I imagine that's what would be expected if a group of about thirty odd vampires were to suddenly take up residence in Forks," my voice came out steady and even as I continued to hold his gaze.

The color quickly drained from his face, replaced with equal measures of shock and horror. Sam quickly sat back in the chair, and gripped the padded arms tightly until his knuckles began to turn white, and I heard the cracking of the wooden frame beneath the upholstery.

"That's impossible," he whispered in a low gravelly voice. "What you are describing - it's the apocalypse. Even with thirteen wolves... the majority of them would be little more than children..."

The hard look slowly returned, but with a hint of wavering.

"I don't believe you," he stated in the same voice, and I knew that somewhere deep down a part of him did.

"It's not all as bad as it sounds. With the exception of the random hiker that Victoria's taking out, the loss of life will mostly be vampire or people in Seattle. The pack will sustain some injuries in the first run in, but nothing that you guys can't heal from."

His glare softened minutely, and I noticed a faint glimmer of hope before he resumed the calm stoic façade.

"I assume you're here to prevent this from happening?" he replied blandly, as if we were discussing the weather. Once again, he leaned forward comfortably, resting his fore arms against his knees.

The casual question caught me off guard.

"Frankly, Sam, I have no idea why I'm here, or what it is that I'm supposed to do- if anything." I took a deep, steadying breath and ran a hand through my hair. It was a good question, and I'd given him the most honest answer I could. "I'm not even supposed to be here..."

We sat silently for a minute or two as I tried to figure out if I could actually salvage the situation or if I should just call it a day. It was definitely feeling like my idea to get in with the wolf pack had completely tanked.

At least I was relatively sure I could find my own way back home.

"You mentioned 'something bad' that was going to trigger the Clearwaters to phase. Let's begin with that and maybe we can go on from there."

I looked up at Sam in surprise. To be honest, I had expected him to tell me it was time to leave, but it appeared he was going to give me a chance.

A brief smile pulled at my lips before the enormity of what he was asking me to tell him settled on me. I was overcome with the urge to grab his hand before I began, but caught myself at the last minute. He simply continued to watch me in a detached manner.

"Yeah, I did. Sam, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I'm so sorry, Sam, really I am. I realize what this will mean to all of you, and I..." I hesitated and glanced away for a second, trying to focus on the right words.

There weren't any, and with this realization, I looked back up at him.

"Harry Clearwater is going to have a heart attack. A bad one. And he won't recover from it."

A hint of sadness crossed his features before he resumed the blank demeanor. I could see he was still struggling with the desire not to believe me.

"I'm not sure of the sequence of events, but sometime during the spring break, he will have a heart attack. I don't know if it's because one of his kids phases, or if the heart attack causes them to phase. But there it is. Also, on this day, you will almost catch Victoria, but she takes off into the ocean to evade you. I know you and Jacob will be hot on her trail. But Jacob needs to be with Bella that day. And you need to catch Victoria. Because after that day, things will get a lot harder."

I tried to replay the series of events in my head as I'd read them in the book. Harry's heart attack happened the same day that Bella jumped from the cliffs. If Jacob was with her, no matter what happened, Alice wouldn't 'see' them, and the Cullens wouldn't return. As long as the pack nailed Victoria within the next few weeks of that, she wouldn't have time to assemble her little newborn army. That should do it. That should fix all the fuckery that happened in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

"What is it that you're thinking so hard about?" Sam's strong, authoritative voice broke into my thoughts.

I gave him a long, assessing look. What the hell, might as well tell him. I briefly wondered if it was a good idea before I opened my mouth.

"Has Bella told you the Cullens have someone who can see the future?"

Sam went completely still for a second before shaking his head no. What I wouldn't give to know what he's thinking...

"She can't, however, see anything involving the wolves. So anytime Bella's with Jake, Alice can't 'see' what's going on with Bella. If Alice can't 'see' Bella's in danger, then the Cullens have no reason to return to Forks, right?"

He merely nodded as I continued to more or less think aloud.

"As for Victoria, if you guys catch her before, oh, say the end of April, she won't be able to hole up in Seattle and start making her own little army. If we change those two things, it should prevent an ass load of problems later."

I was getting tired of that cool stare of his.

"So say something."

"Is your sister in danger, Caro?" he asked calmly.

"A vampire is trying to kill her, what do you think?" I asked sarcastically.

"Beyond that. I can guarantee the pack will do everything in our power to keep her safe. So what is it the fortune-telling leech sees?"

Something about his tone of voice calmed the irrational irritation that had surfaced. What was wrong with me? I was supposed to be winning him over, not snapping at him...

"Jacob promises to take her cliff diving. Instead, he's out patrolling with you after Victoria's spotted. Bella jumps without him and almost drowns. Because Jacob is the one to pull her out, all Alice sees is Bella jumping off a cliff."

"And the Cullens return? All of them?"

I shook my head no.

"Just Alice at first. But within a week, yes, they all return for the duration."

"Will this Alice be looking for your future as well?"

That brought me up short. Would she? I didn't think the past me had anything to do with the Cullens, but I didn't know for sure. And if Alice was really curious about Bella, logically wouldn't she search my future to see if Bella's in it and safe? Especially if she can't 'see' Bella on her own?

"I don't know. I don't think so. It wasn't as if I was close to her."

Sam reached for a glass perched on the wooden end table next to him, and took a long drink.

"And it's not just Jake she can't see, but all of us?"

I nodded.

"So here is what we're going to do. With the exception of school, I'm going to make sure there's at least one pack member with you two at all times. What the leeches can't see can't worry them. It would be a lot easier if you and Bella spent your free time here on the reservation. We'll have to find a way to step up patrols. It won't be easy with most of us in school, but we'll have to find a way."

_Right here is where cyber schools would have come in handy_, I thought to myself.

"Can't you speak to the Elders? Get a leave of absence, maybe make it up in summer school? What about allowing the guys to take their finals early so they can be done for the year?"

Sam looked slightly impressed.

"I hadn't thought about it. Perhaps something can be worked out."

With grace, he stood up from the chair, and I followed his lead. Outstretching his right hand to the door, I understood this was his way of calling our little 'powwow' at an end.

Was powwow even a word Native Americans used, I wondered idly, or was it just another retarded Hollywood stereotype? I made a mental note to find out. If I was going to be spending large amounts of time on the reservation, the least I could do was make sure I didn't offend anyone.

Sam walked with me out to the front porch. As if on cue, Emily and Embry walked around the corner of the house and into view. Emily shot Sam a worried glance, as if to silently ask if everything was okay. I didn't see Sam's response, but whatever it was softened her expression. She turned her attention to me as they came closer and smiled.

"I'm glad we were finally able to meet, Caro. I hope now that you know where I live you'll come by and visit."

I returned her smile whole heartedly. She was just one of those people you couldn't help but like.

"It appears as though I might be spending a lot of time around here. I just hope you don't get sick of seeing me."

A short laugh escaped her lips as from the corner of my eye I noticed Embry raise an eyebrow in Sam's direction.

"It'll be nice to have another woman around." Emily patted my shoulder as she walked past, stopping to whisper quickly something in Sam's ear before turning back in my direction.

"I'll see you around, Caro." She waved before disappearing inside the house.

"I really like her," I mentioned to no one in particular. Sam's face split into a huge, warm grin.

"She's great."

I lifted my hand to wave goodbye, and turned to walk to my car, doing my best to ignore the overwhelming presence that was now next to me.

"Caro, wait a second."

I turned at the sound of Sam's voice.

"I didn't take the time to introduce you guys earlier. Embry, Caro. Caro, Embry. Become best friends, you'll be spending a lot of time together." With that being said, he turned to follow Emily inside.

I shot an alarmed look at Embry.

He was all grins, like a kid at the county fair. I did not want to spend any time with him. He was just.... Just too much.

"Can't I have Jared?" I nearly whined in my panic.

Sam turned back at me with an inquisitive look.

"Jared? If he imprints like you say he will, he'll be wanting to spend his free time with her, not you."

Internally I debated the pros and cons of my only remaining option. This lasted only about a second.

"What about Paul? Rachel doesn't come home until after graduation?" I hated the sound of hope in my voice. Paul wasn't much of an option, but he was better than the alternative.

Sam lifted an eyebrow and lightly chuckled.

"Rachel? As in Rachel Black? Jacob's sister? This is going to be priceless!" Embry's smile was full of mischief.

"Rachel, huh? Regardless, I don't think you and Paul would be very compatible. You two have fun."

Sam let out another low chuckle as he shook his head and went inside, the screen door banging shut behind him.

"So... Best friend... What do you want to do now?"

I gave him an evil look before turning away and sulking to the car.


End file.
